QuickBite Magazine February 2016

Time For Tea

We taste some of the best teas on the market and look at the trends to watch for 2016 Digital Signage

Technology and digital signage can play a huge part in the promotion of your business, find out more

February 2016

Print edition £3.25 • €4.50

Hotelympia We preview one of the biggest tradeshows of 2016, Hotelympia

Mooboo

Bubble tea is one of the fastest growing trends - We meet the experts at Mooboo

Chips and Potato Products We look at how you can add value to your menu with chips and other potato products

www.quickbitemagazine.co.uk The UK’s Largest Food-To-Go and Quick Service Restaurant Magazine

A message from the editor

T

he early months of the year can be a difficult time for everybody in the food and drink sector. Consumers seem a little more reluctant to spend and this can make it tough to survive in the industry, especially for the independents.

Adding value and finding enticing ways to get the customers in and spending is vital and in this issue we are going to look at some of the ways that you can do this. Our chips and potato products feature will look at some of the latest products and trends on the market, and some of our industry experts will give you their insight. The versatility of these products are great at increasing the average spend per head, for a relatively low investment. We get some tips on how to utilise these products.

Marketing your business and promoting any offers that you may have is important if you are to drive the business forward, technology is at the heart of this. In our digital signage feature, we look at how the products in this market can help you stand out from the crowd with the help of some of the businesses supplying these services.

Our third and final feature this month sees the return of our tea review. Following on from the success of the feature last year we spoke to some leading experts about the flavours and trends to look out for in 2016 and sampled more teas than ever to give you a comprehensive guide to the products you should be stocking.

Those businesses looking for a change of direction in the early part of the year may decide to visit a trade-show and in this issue we preview one of the biggest one the calendar – Hotelympia. Here you can see some of the benefits to attending and look at some of the latest products that will be on offer. Those with a sharp eye will notice that we’ve moved the what’s new section here to accommodate these products.

As always we start with the industry news so that you can keep up with everything in the world of foodservice and have our regular columns surrounding law, finance and property. Burger lad also returns to tell us about the technology being used by some of the biggest names in the industry.

Editor

Scott Rumsey scottr@mvhmedia.co.uk Office: +44 (0) 333 003 0499

Contributors

Katee Dias Peter Watters Burger Lad Catriona Stewart

Commercial Manager

Lewis Wantling info@mvhmedia.co.uk Office: +44 (0) 333 003 0499

Advertising sales

Sandra Bouillet sandrab@mvhmedia.co.uk Office: +44 (0) 333 003 0499

Finance

Laura Williams finance@mvhmedia.co.uk Office: +44 (0) 333 003 0499

Design

Timeem Taleifeh design@mvhmedia.co.uk

As always, until next time.

Front cover provided by Brew Tea Page 45

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The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

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Contents

6

11

27 06

News Round-up

ere you’ll find all the latest news H about what’s been happening in the industry

Features 11

Burger Lad

opular columnist ‘The Burger P Lad’ returns with his latest market views

Hotelympia 20

Digital Signage 37

Technology can play a huge part

in the promotion of your business, find out more

Review 45 Tea

Following on from the popularity

of last year we taste the best teas of 2016

Business Profile Chris’s Fish & Chips 26

e preview one of the biggest W tradeshows of 2016, Hotelympia

e speak to British Takeaway W Award winner Stratis Kyriacou

27

hips and Potato C Products –

56

Moo Boo

e look at how you can add value W to your menu with chips and other potato products 4

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ubble tea is a growing trend, we B meet those behind some of the best in the UK

Services Standards Agency 61 Food

Make sure you’re up to date with what events are taking place where in the coming months

62

Accountancy

We look ahead in 2016 with industry experts McPhearsons

63

Legal

64

Katee Dias speaks to us about legal contracts

Property

ake a look at what properties are T available for sale throughout the country, right now

Diary dates ates for your diary 66 D

Make sure you’re up to date with what events are taking place where in the coming months

Contents 20

37 45

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News Round-up Low calorie curryhouse a huge success

An Indian restaurant serving calorie-controlled curries has been earning rave reviews in Frodsham, Cheshire.

Coffee market expands as sales rise 10% The UK coffee shop market has reported a 10% sales growth on last year and a total turnover in 2015 of £7.9 billion, according to the latest report from Allegra World Coffee Portal.

The Project Café 2016 UK report has revealed the branded coffee chain market recorded a £3.3 billion turnover across 6,495 outlets, following outlet growth of 12%, adding 714 stores during 2015 and delivering sales growth of 15%.

A greater commitment to coffee by the non-specialist sector, such as pubs and fast food outlets, has seen 10.5% growth, reaching 7,976 establishments with a strong coffee offering.

Speaking about the latest finding by the group, Jeffrey Young, MD of the Allegra Group commented, “The strong market growth of the past 12 months has exceeded our own estimates.

“This provides further evidence of the growing importance of coffee shops to the British economy and more importantly their impact on the daily lives of everyday consumers.

“With a market now valued at £7.9 billion, no-one can ignore the fact that coffee is big business.”

The non-specialist sector took a further 2% share of the market and now represents 39% of the total market, compared to the branded chains with 31% and the independents with 30%. Indeed the Allegra study predicts the total UK coffee shop market will comfortably exceed 30,000 outlets and £15 billion turnover by 2025, driven by branded coffee chain expansion and non-specialist operator growth. The branded coffee shop segment is forecast to exceed £5.7 billion with more than 8,500 outlets by 2020, with outlets predicted to grow at 6% compound and revenue at 6

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12% compound over the next 5 years.

Daily visits to coffee shops have increased overall and 16% of coffee shop visitors frequented a coffee shop at least once a day in 2015, a 2% increase on 2014. Coffee shop visitors drank around 2.2 billion cups of coffee per year in coffee shops.

Costa is the number one seller of speciality coffee with an estimated 169 million cups sold annually and has also, for the sixth year running, been voted the nation’s favourite chain by Allegra’s independent panel of consumers.

Indeed it is Costa Coffee (1,992 outlets) who lead the way in the UK market in terms of branded stores with Starbucks (849) and Caffe Nero (62).Physical expansion by leading chains is a strong driver of growth, particularly market leader Costa which added 171 UK outlets and had sales growth of 14% in calendar year 2015.

The future coffee shop marketplace will be shaped by further increasing consumer participation and the desire for premium quality coffee anywhere at any time. This will drive improved coffee offers across a broader set of channels. UK consumers will become even more informed about the subtleties of coffee preparation and delivery from bean to cup, in particular origin and roast, as well as the importance of milk foaming and water quality.

In Allegra’s survey of over 16,000 consumers, artisan chain Harris + Hoole was ranked number one for coffee quality.

Trimdian, based out of Little India on Main Street, provides a guilt-free twist on the national favourites and brother and sister team Tom Billington and Lynn Rawsthorne who run the takeaway, are proud that every dish under 500 calories.

Talking to reporters Tom said: “It’s a winwin really because everyone loves a curry and everyone wants to eat healthily.

“There are a lot of takeaways in Frodsham and this is something different.

“The response we’ve had has been amazing, every review we’ve had has been fantastic and we want to keep it going.”

Promising to compromise on the calories but not the taste, many of the items on the Trimdian menu are also gluten free. Tom, said his own mission to lose weight was the inspiration behind the restaurant, adding: “I’ve lost five and a half stone in my own journey of weight loss.

“I wanted to feel good when I ate something bad, if that makes sense?

“I took a cooking class which showed you can make meals a lot healthier just by making easy changes in the way you cook food and the idea just grew from there.

“We pitched the idea to Little India and they supported us, after some work we managed to adapt the meals under 500 calories.

“We had to pick the curries which were suited for it, for example we don’t have Tikka Masala on the menu and we don’t use any cream in the curries.”

Tom added he has had contact with Slimming World, who he joined as part of his own weight loss, about the success of the business.

News Round-up Hungryhouse data reveal more QSRs open on Christmas Day

McDonald’s launch new packaging for 2016 McDonald’s has unveiled a fresh re-design of its takeaway packaging due to be rolled out to 36,000 of its restaurants throughout 2016.

The re-design features bright colours and bold writing and has been introduced in a bid to compete with the growing competition from gourmet burger restaurants.

Matt Biespiel, senior director of Global Marketing, said: “McDonald’s is a fun and modern brand and this was a progressive way to turn our packaging into art and support a community where fashion is an expression.

“The company has also committed to sourcing 100% of all fiber-based packaging from recycled or certified sources by 2020.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and initiatives like this are important to our

customers who care about the planet,” “Every day 69 million customers visit McDonald’s around the world and this new packaging will be a noticeable change. It was fun to join these ideas together and create playful pieces that connect our customers to the Brand.”

The re-designed carry-out bags, cups and sandwich boxes were launched by a South Florida McDonald’s franchise who brought the company the McDCouture Fashion Show with the help of the Miami International University of Art & Design.

New food trend questioned after packaging sparks health fears.

One of the latest food-to-go concepts in the UK at the moment is the ‘Munchie Box’, a pizza box crammed with your favourite takeaway.

From full English breakfasts to salads, chips, kebabs and chicken, the pizza boxes are being used by many in the industry as a great way to offer giant portions to go, something that might not fit in with those looking for a post-Christmas diet.

Aside from the size of the portions available and their effects on the body there may be other health reasons for dodging this format of food-to-go. Recently health fears surrounding the packaging have surfaced with US researchers which suggest that chemicals used in some takeaway packaging have been linked to cancer.

The news will be a blow for Scotland’s latest fast-food craze, which has already been labelled a heart attack in a box because of the calorie-laden contents. Authorities in the US have banned chemicals that are used in many pizza boxes over there because they may be harmful to health.

The compounds at the centre of the scare are called perfluoroalkyl ethyl, also known as perfluorochemicals (PFCs).

A statement from the US Food and Drug Administration said they were “proposing that we amend our food additive regulation to no longer provide for the use of three specific perfluoroalkyl ethyl containing food-contact

substances (FCSs) as oil and water repellents for paper and paperboard for use in contact with aqueous and fatty foods.”

In pizza boxes, the dangerous coating is used at the bottom of the box and there are concerns the chemicals could be absorbed by food and then eaten, although the degree of risk is minimal.

Regulators at Food Standards Scotland (FSS) said they were aware of the US ban.

They said rules about food packaging in Scotland are covered by European laws. An FSS spokesman said: “There is no specific European legislation on the chemicals that can be used in paper board, but suppliers of such materials need to demonstrate that it is compliant and it is safe.

“Any pizza boxes used in Scotland must comply.”

Sam Turktas, co-owner of one of the UK’s biggest pizza box manufacturers TK Packaging, said his firm didn’t need to use the greaseproof chemicals.

He added: “We use corrugated recycled paper which is strong enough so that you don’t need any greaseproof chemicals. Others might use them. Boxes are broadly the same in the UK and abroad.”

The latest set of data from online ordering website hungryhouse.co.uk has revealed that more restaurants than ever chose to be open on Christmas Day this year.

The news suggest a growing trend in people ordering on the 25th of December with late night takeaways a popular option for many.

Hungryhouse revealed that the data showed a 15% increase in its 11,000 restaurants requesting change their online status for the day from closed to open. This is a significant increase after only one-third decided to open last year.

This result is not unique however as the group also noticed that there was a 19% increase in people ordering takeaway on Christmas Day 2014 than the year before.

With more and more restaurants deciding to open each year, the company said that it proves the trend of ordering takeaway over turkey continues to grow, as consumers continue to look for a stress free Christmas.

Scott Fletcher, CEO, hungryhouse. co.uk said: “We’ve always been open all year and people are now beginning to discover that takeaway is another option on Christmas Day. Not everyone wants to tuck in to a roast dinner, and with most shops shut and pubs overpriced takeaway is an option for many.

“Our main objective is to continue to serve our customers their favourite tasty takeaway food, no matter how they choose to spend the Christmas period.”

Although the order numbers are growing, the average Christmas Day basket size for each order was £18.40 in 2014. Suggesting the idea of sharing a festive feast from your local favourite still many not be the number one choice for many families but more so for a smaller household of one or two, who may not be travelling home for the holidays.

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News Round-up Simpsons named ‘Britain’s best fish and chip shop’ as MSC certified restaurants perform well

MSC certified chippies net six wins at National Fish & Chip Awards 2016 as Cheltenham venue take top honours.

Almost half of this year’s ‘Oscars of the fish and chip industry’ have been won by fish and chip shops that serve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified, sustainable fish and chips to their customers.

Simpsons Fish & Chips in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire was named Britain’s best chippie, after beating nine other regional finalists to be crowned Independent Takeaway Fish & Chip Shop of the Year. The familyrun business, which has been MSC certified since 2013, was recognised for innovations such as a gluten-free frying day held once a month and a children’s book that aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable sourcing.

Runner-up for the top award was Kingfisher Fish & Chips, in Plymouth, Devon, which also netted the Good Catch Award in recognition of the work it has done to champion sustainable sourcing. Previously hailed as “the world’s most sustainable fish and chip shop”, Kingfisher sells an impressive 13 MSC certified fish species, including cod and haddock from the Arctic sea, pollock, salmon and kippers, plus whole lobsters that are sold with chips for under £10.

The Catch in Looe Harbour, which opened in 2014 and became MSC certified in 2015, won the Best Newcomer Award, while Burton

Road Chippy in Lincoln netted both the Marketing Innovation Award and the NFFF Quality Award ‘Champion’ Award, for attaining and exceeding the National Federation of Fish Friers’ (NFFF) quality benchmark and promoting it to consumers and the industry.

George Clark, UK Commercial Manager for the Marine Stewardship Council said, “We’re delighted that for the fourth year running, the top industry award for the fish and chip sector has been won by an MSC certified chippy that champions and promotes

Costa partner with Vegan Society Costa has become the first high street coffee shop chain to launch a product registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark.

Costa’s new Vegan Fruit Crumble has been added to its 2016 menu and is dairy, gluten and wheat-free, with a cinnamon spiced biscuit base with a fruity plum, cranberry and sultana filling, finished with a crumble topping.

Jasmijn de Boo, UK brand development manager at The Vegan Society, said: “It is fantastic that another major high street retailer has listened to its customers and put a delicious vegan option on the menu.

More people than ever went vegan last year and with even more expected this year, Costa’s vegan addition shows they are being conscientious towards customers’ compassionate choices.”

Talking about the businesses ethos, Jane Treasure, Costa’s head of food and beverage 8

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development in the UK, said: “We’re dedicated to offering all our customers a variety of products and I am really pleased to add a vegan option to provide more choice for those with dietary requirements.

“We’re delighted that this sweet treat will be featured alongside our other Celiac Society approved menu options including our Chicken with Coconut and Lime Dressing Wrap and our Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie.”

The Fruit Crumble is made in the UK by family run bakery, Bells of Lazonby, based in the Lake District in Cumbria. Working closely with Costa and The Vegan Society the bakery has ensured full compliance with The Vegan Society’s criteria, allowing the Vegan Trademark to be displayed on the packaging.

sustainable seafood. That’s great news for the future of our oceans and for the future of the nation’s favourite takeaway, and we’d like to congratulate all the award winners on their much-deserved success.”

The MSC is the world’s most recognised certification and ecolabelling scheme for sustainable seafood. Its ‘blue tick’ ecolabel gives shoppers and diners an independent assurance that their fish was sourced sustainably, and is traceable from ocean to plate.

News Round-up Spending in fast food outlets rockets as limit for contactless payments rises Purchases in fast food outlets made using contactless payments has almost doubled since the limit rose from £20 to £30 in September, according to the latest Barclaycard data.

Contactless payments now account for one in 10 card transactions, and contactless spend is nearing £1bn a month across the whole market.

Paul Lockstone, managing director at Barclaycard, said: “In 2015 we’ve seen contactless become an even more popular way to pay for small transactions, so much so that we can even get frustrated if a retailer doesn’t offer ‘touch and go’ as an option.

“As the consumer appetite for new ways to pay continues to grow, particularly with the upcoming launch of high value payments and the continuing growth in wearable payment devices, we’re expecting 2016 to be another recording breaking year for contactless.

“In the fifty years that we’ve been in

business, we’ve played a key role in supporting the development of many new payment innovations – from introducing the first credit card to the UK, to launching Chip & PIN, Contactless and wearables.

“The consumer trend towards contactless is only set to increase, with our data showing that time pressed shoppers don’t like to hang around – there’s a real opportunity for UK retailers to step-in and meet this growing consumer demand.”

Spending in pubs and bars using the method has risen by 92% since the limit rose, whilst spending in fast food outlets jumped by 62% and restaurants by 51% in the same period.

Sourced Market smash crowdfunding target with time remaining Sourced Market, the all-day dining offer, has exceeded its crowdfunding target of £750,000 with four days left on its pitch.

The brand launched the pitch on CrowdCube, which offered an interest rate of 8%, to fund its expansion with the aim of opening a second site at 12-15 Marylebone Lane, due to open in March 2016.

In the event that Sourced Market raises its maximum target of £1.5 million, the funds will be used to open a further two sites, including a site at the new Nova Victoria development.

Sourced Market is currently open in St Pancras Station and achieved sales of £2.9m for the 2015 financial year, with a gross profit margin of £1.5m and net earnings of £208,000.

Sourced Market focuses on an all-day offer, comprising of breakfast, lunch and dinner options, as well as a retail offering.

It views the likes of Pret, EAT and Benugo as its competition in the breakfast, lunch and coffee markets and Bill’s, Le Pain Quotidien and Carluccio’s as its casual dining competitors.

The brand was founded by Ben O’Brien and Dan O’Neill in 2007, taking the market around festivals and events around the UK, from village fetes to the Olympic Games.

Premium patisserie launch first UK site Orée, a premium French artisan patisserie and boulangerie, is to launch its first UK flagship café in March 2016.

Spread over two floors on Fulham Road, the bakery marks the beginning of an expansion programme in London. Orée will include a 38 cover internal seating area and all bread will be baked on site in the working bakery that customers can see in action.

Laurent d’Orey, the founder of Orée Boulangeries, said: “We selected Fulham Road for our first UK store as it attracts a vibrant community and strong retail footfall.

“It was the obvious choice for our brand

to further develop our premium French artisan bakery concept.

“We can’t wait to see the site open, as well as to secure more sites for the serious expansion plans that Orée has for London.”

The Sloane Stanley Estate manages hundreds of residential and commercial properties on King’s Road and Fulham Road.

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News Round-up Greggs see huge sales increase in UK after store refits Greggs has reported a 4.7% increase in like-for-like sales and a 5.2% rise in total sales in 2015.

Roger Whiteside, chief executive at Greggs, said: “2015 saw us deliver another excellent year of progress as we continue to transform Greggs into a modern, wellinvested food-on-the-go retailer.

“We anticipate that we will report full year results for 2015 in line with our previous expectations. In the year ahead we will continue with the implementation of our strategic plan to enable the business to compete more effectively in the food-onthe-go market.

Greggs competed 202 refits in 2014, plus 20 conversions of larger bakery cafés. The chain opened 122 new sites and closed 74, leaving the Greggs portfolio at 1,698 sites trading as of 2nd January 2016.

Customer demand for breakfast-on-thego continues to be Greggs fastest growing part of the day with sales of coffee growing strongly. Greggs will introduce a flat white

and an improved mocha to its coffee menu in 2016.

Like-for-like sales at the bakery chain slowed in the fourth quarter to 2.3%.

Health experts warn of sugar dangers (sugar) A ‘sugar tax’ of 50% is necessary to curb the growing obesity crisis, according to health experts.

The National Obesity Forum believes that the 20% levy recommended by Public Health England and championed by a number of chefs, politicians and health bodies would be ‘insufficient’.

Prime Minister David Cameron recently didn’t rule out the possibility of introducing a sugar tax as he said that Britain needs a ‘fully worked-up programme’ to deal with the obesity problem.

He said: “I don’t really want to put new taxes on anything but we do have to

recognise that we face potentially in Britain something of an obesity crisis when we look at the effect of obesity not just on diabetes but the effect on heart disease, potentially on cancer, when we look at the costs on the NHS, the life-shortening potential of these problems.”

Professor David Haslam, chairman of the NOF, told The Independent: “Anything less than a 50 per cent tax on sugary drinks will be insufficient as a disincentive to consumers.

“We don’t currently support taxing food products… but sugary drinks have no place in anyone’s diet.”

The 50% tax would mean a 330ml bottle of an added-sugar drink, such as Coca Cola or Pepsi, would rise from 99p to £1.49.

Just Eat report record orders in last 12 months Just Eat, the online marketplace for takeaway food delivery, has reported like-for-like orders increased by 46% in the 12 months to 31st December 2015.

Full year reported order growth hit 57% for the full year, with like-for-like orders growing by 47% in the first half of the year.

David Buttress, CEO of Just Eat, said: “I am delighted with our growth through 2015, which provides an excellent base for further development of our business. We enter 2016 with continuing confidence.”

Online takeaway service Just Eat served up a robust 2015, with orders up over 50 per cent as the UK group maintains its strong 10

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growth rate.

The company said that total orders in the 12 months to December 31 rose 57 per cent year on year, boosted thanks to the inclusion of revenues from recent acquisitions such as French business Alloresto.fr, Mexican subsidiary Sindelantal.mx and Australia and New Zealand-focused Menulog.

The consistency of the company’s growth rate has been met favourably by investors, with the share price rising more than 40

per cent in the past 12 months. Just Eat executives expect its growth rate to taper off as the online takeaway market matures.

Buttress added: “International expansion has helped with our long-term potential for growth. But we’re delighted with the performance with our existing businesses.”

Just Eat now has over 12.5 million users and over 60,000 takeaway restaurants. The business is a member of the FTSE 250 Index.

Burger Tech How will we order our burgers in the future? Movie buffs will tell you that the date in which the first act of Back to the Future II is set has been and gone (21st October 2015 if you didn’t know). Although we don’t see burgers being ordered in the movie we did get the classic Pizza Hut/Black & Decker “hydrate level 4 please” moment. Retrospectively more a case of science fiction, than science fact.

Back in my day, I remember when you could only pay with cash at McDonald’s.

It was relatively late when you could start paying by debit or credit card (circa 2002 maybe). In fact, some contactless using Millennials were probably not even born when some of us thought it was revolutionary to be able to pay with plastic at the Golden Arches.

Fast forward thirteen years and you can now wave your Apple Pay-ready mobile device to pay for your burger. Seems we’ve come a long way from having to shuffle about in our pockets for notes or coins to cover the cost of that extra value meal.

This is not the only innovation McDonald’s have recently introduced. Dating back to as early as 2004, locations around France started to see the implementation of automated food ordering systems. More and more McDonald’s restaurants in the UK are seeing the installation of selfservice touch screen order kiosks. If you want to read more about them and see a live video demonstration we covered it on the website at http://www.burgerlad.com/2015/02/ mcdonalds-touch-screen-ordering.html Gourmet Burger Kitchen also continue to lead the way with innovative methods of ordering burgers. First launched in 2012, the latest iteration of the Flypay powered GBK App allows the customer to not only find and book, but now order and pay from their table. Or if you want takeaway,

you can use the app to select and collect from any one of their UK locations. This is a brilliant idea in my opinion. You literally choose your burger (and sides, drinks etc.), pick a convenient time and upon receipt given a collection number.

Imagine finding yourself hungry and with limited funds only to be able to call upon someone else to arrange your meal - all from the comfort of their own home and Wi-Fi. Going back to McDonald’s. I believe a release of their own mobile app is in the works and what I talk about next is pure speculation on my part. I imagine being able to use the app to place (and pay) for a burger while out and about. You literally walk into McDonald’s, swipe your phone against the touch screen kiosk, it recognises your order and your food is ready for collection.

Create Your Taste is a McDonald’s buildyour-own burger concept available in a number of overseas countries. It basically allows you to design your own creation from a list of set ingredients. I see a future where you have “your favourites” on your app. Walk in, scan your phone and the order to your specification is crafted. It would save you having to repeat the step over and over again. The insight from the data collected would be very valuable too in determining what toppings are the most popular. And by creating an online gallery of customers’ creations it would be a social media dream. Again we talk more about Create Your Taste and what it could

mean in the UK at http://www.burgerlad. com/2015/09/mcdonalds-create-yourtaste-uk.html So where does the future take us? Just this week I read an article on the BBC News website where Amazon’s drone delivery project, Prime Air unveiled a new prototype. By all accounts, the drone is capable of flying up to 15 miles. I only have to take a look through Twitter on a Saturday or Sunday morning to see the endless tweets of hungover people asking McDonald’s why they don’t deliver.

In some distant future, I wouldn’t be too shocked to see a world where fast food drones deliver burgers directly to your door. It certainly doesn’t sound as absurd as placing a four-inch diameter dehydrated pizza into a hydrator for twelve seconds and then taking it out to find it piping hot and increased in diameter by at least three times!!

About Burger Lad® Burger Lad heads up the team at the hugely popular burger review website, www.burgerlad.com. Founded late 2012 as a one man operation, the blog has achieved huge growth in its relatively short time. Once seen as an underground source of burger news and reviews, Burger Lad has become arguably the industry-recognised number one burger review site in the UK. Often invited by fast food brands to try promotions before public release, Burger Lad prides itself on breaking the latest High Street burger news and reviews. Follow him here: @Burger_Lad Issue 29 February 2016

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News Round-up Mobile delivery app launch breakfast deliveries into London Jinn App launched their door-to-door breakfast delivery service to coincide with National Breakfast Week, and partnered with London breakfast brands.

With an average delivery time of 35 minutes, Jinn App’s new service has been launched off the back of a survey, which found that 72% of Londoners admit to skipping breakfast. 62% stated that it was due to not having time to make it themselves in the morning and 32% said they often lacked ingredients.

Talking about the initiative Mario Navarro, Jinn App, said: “There’s no more critical a time than breakfast; the bare cupboards or food preparation are just too much to face first thing, so many of us end up skipping the meal altogether or grabbing something on the go. It is shocking that so many Londoners

skip the most important meal and I hope our services can change this.

“This will revolutionise the morning rush, allowing Londoners to order something delicious and have it arrive in the time it takes for a shower and a shave, or order it to arrive at work just when they do.”

In accordance with catering businesses such as Joe & Juice, Maroush Bakehouse, The Breakfast Club, The Good Life Eatery and VQ, those using the iOS and Androidfriendly app, Jinn App will be able to place orders via the app and can expect their breakfast choice to materialise at their door just half an hour later.

Tortilla continue UK growth with new Nottingham site Mexican restaurant group, Tortilla has opened the doors to its 27th site at the Intu Victoria Centre, Nottingham.

The site marks Tortilla’s second Nottingham site in the last two months and is located on the ground floor by the Clocktower. The restaurant group already has openings planned in Scotland, London and the Midlands for 2016.

The site will serve Tortilla’s range of California Burritos, Tacos, Margaritas and beers, as well as its new evening menu offering of chicken quesadillas and Nachos Queso.

Richard Morris, managing director of 12

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Tortilla, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for Tortilla with six restaurant openings, additions to the menu, the launch of the delivery service and we are thrilled to come to the yearend opening our second location in Nottingham, the only city out of London to have two Tortilla’s. We are all extremely excited for 2016 and for what’s to come.”

Tortilla also signed up to Jamie Oliver’s 10p sugary drinks levy, set up in conjunction with Sustain, earlier this year.

FRIMA launches new Dynamic VarioCooking Center New option allows VarioCooking Center to operate with reduced power Some commercial kitchens have restricted power supplies, which can cause issues with heavy duty equipment. Now FRIMA has launched Dynamic, an option for its market leading VarioCooking Center multifunctional cooking appliance. It reduces the unit’s connected load with only minimal impact on performance.

The Dynamic option carefully optimises power usage. It is available for all models in the VarioCooking Center range, and allows them to operate with a significantly lower wattage than standard versions.

All models in the VarioCooking Center range use the patented VarioBoost heating system, which allows for fast and precise control over the temperature. Despite the precise optimisation of power usage with the Dynamic version, pre-heating times are only extended by thirty seconds for frying, and by up to two and a half minutes for boiling. This still makes the FRIMA up to four times faster than comparable conventional appliances.

A VarioCooking Center can replace many cooking appliances, from kettles, large pots and bratt pans to fryers and griddles.

The new Dynamic option will allow more kitchens to benefit from the FRIMA’s flexibility, multi-functionality, speed of cooking and energy savings.

The VarioCooking Center complies with standards set by the HKI Certification energy efficiency database. This initiative, run by the German Industrial Association for House, Heating and Kitchen Technology, provides equipment buyers with unbiased comparative energy consumption information. HKI database figures are based on a series of German standards, DIN 18873, relating specifically to the energy use of equipment for commercial kitchens.

News Round-up QSR spend down on more casual dining options according to research Data shows the growing importance of Casual Dining restaurants compared to QSRs in the British Foodservice market The NPD Group has revealed how casual dining contributes to an increasing proportion of Foodservice traffic accounting now for 4% of all visits.

Although still quite small, their traffic has grown by 29% since 2009. It now equates to 441 million visits in the year ending September 2015.

Fiscally, this sector generates £4.4bn to the Foodservice Industry. This channel has a much higher average ticket (£9.92) than QSR (£3.63).

Dinner is the main occasion for casual dining, representing 51% of the channel.

Lunch is the second daypart, accounting for 27% of the traffic. There are also some clear sign of diversification as morning meal represents 13% of the visits to the

channel.

Cyril Lavenant, Foodservice Director in the NPD group, commented “The casual dining concept has been created to attract families for whom a traditional restaurant is too expensive and most of the times not fun enough for kids; as well as young adults who are willing to spend the few extra pounds on a quality meal and good experience that they were willing to in the more classic QSR channel. One can only admit that these two objectives are reached. However casual dining restaurants must constantly raise their game as the competition is now following quite closely”.

Subway look to drive sales in Q1 The sandwich shop chain will build on its ‘Stay Picky’ campaign from 2015, including the launch of a new 20 second TV advert to be screened this month.

Roger Cusa, head of marketing The sandwich shop chain will build on its ‘Stay Picky’ campaign from 2015, including the launch of a new 20 second TV advert to be screened this month.

Roger Cusa, head of marketing for the SUBWAY brand in UK and Ireland, said: “2016 will build on the momentum of last year’s campaign and marks the second chapter of the SUBWAY brand’s ‘Stay Picky’ campaign.

“Driving customers to embrace ‘staying picky’, this campaign reinforces that customers don’t have to compromise on quality, choice and taste when choosing their favourite Subs on-the-go. Reintroducing the well-loved Big Beef & Chorizo Melt and adding our new Premium Subs to the menu brings the SUBWAY brand’s ‘Stay Picky’ ethos to life.”

The mobile campaign will push targeted adverts direct to consumers, taking into account potential customers’ proximity to SUBWAY stores and user behaviour, to determine how regularly they eat food on the go.

Greggs continue expansion into Northern Ireland with big growth plans Greggs will reportedly open at least a dozen new stores in Northern Ireland this year.

The bakery giant will open its first store in the country at the Boucher Road Retail Park, Belfast in March, creating 12 new jobs.

Cirona Collins, director and head of retail agency at Lambert Smith Hampton, told the Belfast Telegraph: “Greggs are on record as saying their planned shop at Boucher Road will be the first of a dozen.”

However, a Greggs spokesperson

wouldn’t confirm the additional sites to the newspaper: “At present, we can confirm that we will be opening a companymanaged shop on Boucher Road in Belfast and a franchise shop in partnership with Applegreen.”

It was previously reported that the bakery chain, which has 1,670 stores across Great Britain, was eyeing up a 50 site presence across Northern Ireland.

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News Round-up Three new coffee sites for KIN+ILK in Wales New artisan coffee shop brand KIN+ILK has announced plans to open three sites in Cardiff this year before expanding across the UK. The brand will open in Cardiff’s Capital Quarter this week, before opening in Pontcanna and Cardiff Bay later in the year, after securing a £150,000 Finance Wales.

The Capital Quarter opening will create 30 jobs and will serve a range of artisan teas and coffees, as well as wines, craft beers and ciders, and a lunch and sweet treats menu.

Cenydd Rowlands, senior investment executive at Finance Wales, told the newspaper: “KIN+ILK has a very impressive and successful management team behind it who conducted a great deal of in-depth market research before launching the business.

“They are very passionate about creating a strong brand with Welsh roots and, with a number of new sites lined up for 2016, they already have a robust growth strategy in place.”

David Davies, co-founder of KIN+ILK, told reporters: “We have a strong vision for KIN+ILK creating distinctively designed venues with great coffee, food and drink that brings together creative, business and entrepreneurial people to meet, eat, drink,

connect and collaborate in calm and inclusive spaces.

“We’ve also acquired sites in Pontcanna and Cardiff Bay for launch later this year and, in time, want to extend the brand out into other UK cities with vibrant business centres.

Wing Yip launch search to find next Young Chef of the Year The UK’s leading Oriental grocer Wing Yip has announced the launch of Young Chef of the Year. On Monday 11 January 2016, the competition opened to chefs and catering students (18 – 25) across the country.

Following an initial paper entry, there will be a live cook-off where one lucky chef will win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hong Kong, including culinary work experience in some of the city’s top eateries.

Now in its fourth year, the nationwide competition has firmly established itself on the culinary calendar.

Wing Yip director Brian Yip said: “We’re excited to be launching Young Chef for the fourth consecutive year. Since 2013, the competition has been championing the best young chefs from all over the country, with and without backgrounds in Oriental cuisine. It’s an incredible opportunity for up-and-coming chefs to gain experience and exposure in Far Eastern cooking, and compete to win an unforgettable experience in Hong Kong.”

Putting the contestants through their paces will be a renowned panel of judges – Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell, MasterChef finalist and director of Hokkei Larkin Cen and president of the British Culinary Federation Peter Griffiths MBE. Glynn said: “I’m very much looking 14

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forward to another year on the Young Chef judging panel. For up and coming chefs there’s no better way to gain experience and exposure than to take part in a competition like this. This year we’ll be looking for dishes that are created using modern techniques, taste authentic and deliver a real wow factor.”

Applicants must submit a two-course Oriental menu idea, featuring a street food starter and a quality restaurant standard main. The most inventive and mouthwatering menus will be shortlisted, and finalists will be invited to a live cook-off at University College Birmingham, on Wednesday 13 April 2016.

Carluccios enter the grab-and-go market Carluccio’s, the 115-strong international Italian restaurant group, will enter the grab and go market with a new brand called Via Carluccio’s.

Opening on Tottenham Court Road at the end of February, Via Carluccio’s is a quick service variation of the brand, offering restaurant quality food for people on the move.

Trading from 7am through to early evening and leveraging the brand’s expertise in sourcing the best Italian produce whilst showcasing Antonio Carluccio’s recipes, the menu features a range of breakfast and all-day items alongside Carluccio’s two bespoke signature blends of coffee; rich or smooth.

Signature dishes on the breakfast menu include Borlotti Bean Pots topped with a Poached Egg; Egg Frittatine wrapped in Pancetta; Jumbo Oats Porridge with Fig Jam from Campania and warm Panettone with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling. All-day choices come in the form of mix-and-match pasta and salad boxes, all freshly prepared each day. Sandwiches feature typically Italian ingredients and come in focaccia, made to Antonio’s classic Ligurian recipe, whilst desserts and impulse items include Bonet (smooth chocolate mousse with Pasta Di Melega biscuits crumbled on top) and Panna Cotta Pots, Italian cakes and biscuits.

The interior by Design LSM adopts a simple yet bold and minimal palette made up of concrete, leather and wood to reflect the simplicity and quality associated with the Carluccio’s brand. Colour and heritage comes courtesy of tiles inspired by the late Italian designer and architect, Gió Ponti. Seating is minimal with eight covers inside and 10 outside.

The brand has been developed in collaboration with Antonio Carluccio and is inspired by his experiences travelling as a young man.

Antonio Carluccio said: “When I was growing up in Italy my father was a station master and we often travelled across the country by train. In those days there were no buffet cars but on the platform you could buy cestino di viaggio (literally baskets for travelling) featuring a wonderful array of fresh bread, hams, olives and cheese – Via Carluccio’s brings my experience of real Italian food on the move to London.”

Neil Wickers, CEO Carluccio’s Limited added:“Part of our further UK growth strategy and US expansion, is to create a new scalable concept – one that complements and reflects the ethos of Carluccio’s. This is a natural brand extension for us – we have proven retail formats in all our restaurants and our existing larger grab-and-go counters in Canary Wharf and Market Place are hugely successful.”

The company will look to open additional Via Carluccio’s in London over the next 12 months.

News Round-up Pay on the rise in UK hospitality market The hospitality sector experienced one of the biggest salary growths in the UK last year, according to job site CV-Library.

Leon meet opening target with Leadenhall site Leon open in Leadenhall Market, fulfilling their ambition to open eleven sites in 2015.

The industry saw a 2.6% growth in advertised salaries in 2015 compared with the previous year, above the likes of manufacturing (2.4% growtH0 but below construction (10.2%) and retail (5.9%).

The average annual salary in the hospitality industry jumped from £24,343.29 in 2014 to £24,966.46 in 2015.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “It’s great to see the hospitality job market flourishing. The sector

Pret A Manger launch new initiative to ‘Make Someone Smile’ Pret A Manger launching a new initiative to ‘Make Someone Smile’ allowing its baristas to choose 120,000 customers at random to put a special sleeve on their takeaway cup.

Launched off the back of its successful loyalty programme in April last year, which saw customers randomly given a free drink, Pret’s new scheme encourages customer to pass the sleeve onto somebody else who can then redeem it for a free tea or coffee.

Pret’s CEO, Clive Schlee, said: “We often get feedback from customers about how our shop teams have brightened up their day. Our teams love being able to make customers smile, and we hope the recipients of our special coffee sleeves enjoy being able to pass that joy onto somebody else themselves.”

Lucky Pret customers have until the end of February to use their Make Someone Smile sleeve.

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continues to thrive with strong job growth and increasing salaries, which is good news for workers and businesses alike and it bodes well for the hospitality industry in 2016.”

The job site also reported that the industry celebrated strong job growth in 2015 with a 24.4% increase in jobs when compared with 2014. This figure is higher than the national job growth figure of 23.5%.

The naturally fast food chain has journeyed further afield in the last twelve months, venturing west into Kensington and Hammersmith and opening their first company-owned site outside of the capital in Birmingham Grand Central Station.

Kirsty Saddler, brand & marketing director, said: “We set out to change fast food – to make it good food that helps people eat well. Now we’re a fast food brand bringing more fresh ingredients back into Leadenhall market.”

The Leadenhall Market location is a Grade II listed building and seats 52.

Leon have also recently announced their £11.5million refinancing package with HSBC, which will help support the brand’s plans to venture further into the UK and overseas in 2016.

News in brief Health warnings on labels to reduce fizzy drink sales Placing health warnings on fizzy drinks could ‘significantly reduce consumption’ and should be included in the forthcoming government obesity strategy, health bodies have claimed.

The calls come in response to a US study which found adding cigarettestyle labels to sugary drinks stops a third of parents buying them for their children.

The study, by scientists from the University of Pennysylvania, found that 60% of parents would buy sugary drinks with no health labels, while 53% would buy them even if the number of calories in the drink were displayed.

However, only 40% of parents said they would buy a sugary drink if cigarettestyle labels were on the cans or bottles.

An overall drop of a third compared to drinks with no labels.

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, told the Daily Mail: “The results of this study are promising, suggesting that health warning labels could have a role in the battle against poor diet and obesity.

“As a society we are consuming too much sugar and in addition to a sugar tax any measure which is effective in reducing purchases, and ultimately consumption of sugary drinks should be welcomed.

“Given the success that health warnings have had in other areas, such as smoking, it is right that we should adopt similar measures that may be effective in encouraging people to change their behaviour.”

Metcalfe’s skinny sell over quarter of the business to Kettle The investment will help Metcalfe’s skinny with strategic and financial infrastructure to maximise the growth potential of the brand in the UK and Europe.

Julian Metcalfe and Robert Jakobi coowners of Metcalfe’s skinny, said: “We are very excited about the opportunity to expand the Metcalfe’s skinny brand with the support and expertise of the 18

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Dragon’s Den visit for new Food-to-go product The Crackin’ Egg Co. headed into Dragon’s Den looking for investment in their latest product for the food-to-go market, a naturally preserved, hard-boiled egg.

The Crackin’ Egg Co. was launched when, after years of enjoying the humble boiled egg founders, husband and wife Rob and Rachel Shaw had a Eureka moment and decided to create a more egg-citing future. Their brightly coloured hard-boiled eggs, cased in a natural preserving coating and served with a sachet of flavour keep fresh for a whole month, ready to peel and enjoy.

After appearing on BBC2’s Dragons Den, The Crackin’ Egg Co. unfortunately did not secure the £80k investment they were seeking. But as a result of Rob Shaw’s pitch (accompanied by Pepper the chicken) supporters of the brand went mad across Social Media with over 157,000 consumers reached via social media in the few hours after the show.

“We have not been deterred by the Dragon’s response” commented Rob, “ Eggs are recognised as one of nature’s superfoods and are also one of the hottest current food trends in London & the US, particularly enjoyed by those interested in a high protein or carbohydrate reducing diet. We will continue to target the savoury snacks market with the brand since initial response from both consumers and retailers has been so positive.”

KETTLE organization.

“This is a positive step that we know will not only showcase the brand’s potential but will benefit our customers in the long term too.”

Julian Metcalfe is also the co-founder of Pret A Manger and itsu. KETTLE Foods was established in 1978 in Oregon, USA

UberEats app launches as US foodto-go delivery begins trial r Uber is preparing to launch a food delivery app in 10 cities in a bid to build the company’s first standalone app since the ride-hailing service launched five years ago, according to reports New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are among the cities that will benefit from the full scale UberEATS app, which has been live in Toronto for a month.

The app lets users to order food from local restaurants for delivery by Uber drivers, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In Toronto customers have been able

News in brief Food service outlets that put quality first set to succeed Outlets that maintain their quality, keep their menus fresh, their prices competitive and adapt to changing demand will emerge the winners this year, according to foodservice consultancy Horizons.

The prediction comes against a backdrop of overcapacity in the UK’s eating out market, which is likely to slow growth in the sector in the longer term by putting downward pressure on likefor-like sales.

“It is difficult to see how this level of growth in food outlets can be sustained in the longer term,” said Peter Backman, managing director, Horizons.

“Competition amongst operators means there will be a struggle to improve likefor-like sales across the sector, keeping menu prices fairly flat and margins low.”

to order from a full restaurant menu between 10am to 10pm. Uber promises to deliver within 40 minutes for a fee of about $5 an order, depending on the city.

From the end of March, UberEATS will exist as a stand-alone app in the Apple App store and Google Play, a company spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.

The company’s current UberEATS service, a feature within the Uber ridehailing app, consist of a lunch time only service in five US cities: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin. It is also available in Paris.

Uber lists Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington, DC as UberEATS as

participants. But is unclear if Paris will participate in the full scale launch.

Horizons anticipates further blurring of eating out formats as we move into 2016 and operators seek to differentiate themselves. We have already seen the move into new locations such as shopping malls, leisure outlets and transport hubs, but now businesses are broadening their offer. Pret a Manger, for example, has developed a sitdown evening food offer; Starbucks has turned its London Covent Garden site into a high-tech, wine bar offering platters of food in the evening; and Costa, as well as Starbucks, has joined forces with a healthy food brand.

“Consumers are looking for a good quality eating experience wherever they are. This, and the pressure on sites means that operators are being extremely innovative and changing their offer to adapt,” added Backman.

Meanwhile, when it comes to food trends, Horizons predicts ever-hotter and more exotic dishes and a growth in home delivery market.

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Hotelympia Preview

Hotelympia returns this year (29th February – 3rd March, 2016 ExCeL London) with the UK’s greatest hospitality event promising more product innovation than ever before, fed by laser guided trends and insight drawn from the UK’s culinary capital, the most comprehensive range of suppliers yet, plus all-new competitions and some of the UK’s most celebrated chefs.

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Hotelympia Registration is now live (www.hotelympia.com/register) for the biennial four-day show, the home of hospitality innovation, which will see the unique needs of visitors from every sector of hospitality, from hotels and restaurants to pubs; cafes; contract catering; casual dining; the cost sector and beyond, catered for by almost 1,000 of some of the world’s most pioneering exhibitors in Food & Drink; Catering Equipment; Technology; Interiors & Tableware; Careers and sustainability-focused WasteWorks.

Speaking about the event, Toby Wand, Managing Director at Fresh Montgomery said: “It may seem a contradiction in terms to describe an event on the sheer scale of Hotelympia as having the feel of a bespoke, tailored show, but in 2016, that’s exactly the experience we will deliver.

“How do we achieve this with so many ground-breaking exhibitors, from multiple sectors, all under one roof? The answer lies in knowing the market, understanding the trends that keep this vibrant industry ticking, showcasing companies that share in this vision, true innovators, keeping things fresh and, most importantly, relevant to you. So, whichever day you choose to spend with us, and whatever attraction, innovative new product, key exhibitor or insightful speaker is on your hit list, this experience will be individually tailored to you, the requirements of your business and your customers. Your show.”

This year QuickBite magazine will be in attendance after noticing a shift in the relationships between those at the fine dining end of the food service industry and those offering quick service, food to go.

The businesses that we visit and report on are seeing something of a change in consumer demand for premium products and as such QSRs are constantly trying to improve their offering.

With an array of highly skilled chefs presenting new dishes and techniques there is plenty for us to see. The show will give visitors the opportunity to see what’s new in 2016 and where the next trends are coming from. As well as the food there will be a vast amount of equipment and hundreds of new products that our readers can draw inspiration from.

With the main focus in the QSR market being convenience, we have seen rapid growth in the number of businesses embracing technology to speed up their service. Cafés, takeaways and food-to-go outlets can benefit from equipment, ordering systems and point of sale solutions and we’ll keep a look out for what’s new in this sector.

This year Hotelympia brings visitors an abundance of food and drink exhibitors displaying the newest products and innovations, and a dedicated Speciality & Health Food Pavilion. Prepare to be educated and inspired on all things new in the world of food and drink.

Held in conjunction with The Craft Guild of Chefs, The Staff Canteen Live, will be showcasing the skills of 16 of the country’s leading chefs, comprising some 20 Michelin stars. The line-up 22

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Hotelympia includes: chef patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Clare Smyth; Tom Kerridge from 2 Michelin-starred The Hand and Flowers and The Coach at Marlow and Simon Rogan one of the most accomplished, unique and best loved chefs in the UK. Each day will see a changing lineup of chefs performing interactive demonstrations on stage in front of a live audience offering recipe guidance, cooking tips and sampling opportunities.

There will also be an array of speakers at the events so that you can keep up-todate with all of the latest trends. Peter Martin of the Coffer Peach Business Tracker – the industry sales monitor for UK restaurants, will deliver his state-of-the sector address. This will be followed by a talk about one of the biggest stories of the year, the chef shortage. A dedicated panel, chaired by Martin-Christian Kent of skills and workforce charity People 1st will discuss the issue.

With crowdfunding proving one of the most hot button areas of discussion in the past 12 months, a dedicated panel including Eric Partaker, co-CEO of Chilango, Fraser Thompson, CEO of Chapel Down and Thomas Davies, Chief Investment Officer, Seedrs, will debate the risks and rewards of raising capital through this means.

The curtain comes down on Hotelympia 2016 with a panel discussion on the rise of the multimedia chef, curated by the London Restaurant network and featuring some of the industry’s most respected names.

Toby adds: “For almost 80 years this show has been the only show that the entire hospitality fraternity builds up to; the only show with the breadth of exhibitors and products needed to make businesschanging decisions; the only show where you will leave with more than you arrived,

buoyed by the weight of insight and innovation at every turn.

“In 2016, we’re taking the show to you.”

What’s new at Hotelympia?

Hotelympia returns as one of the biggest trade shows of the year and in this special issue of what’s new, we look at some of the stands that you should be visiting and hear about all of their latest products.

Equipment

Company: PKL U-Select Stand: 3321 Contact: www.u-select.co.uk

PKL Group’s U-Select is a unique new way for small catering businesses and start-ups to seek advice and procure commercial catering equipment without capital outlay up front.

Choose from these options: Quick Start Hire: A flexible option with no minimum contract and weekly payments. Choose from U-Select stock hire catering equipment and get your business up and running straight away.

Try It, Buy It: A choice of new or stock catering equipment hired for a weekly payment. After the minimum 12 month contract there is the option to purchase equipment at a reduced rate, extend the hire or simply hand it back.

Flexi-Hire: A flexible equipment hire for start-ups and medium sized businesses. Choose from a huge range of stock equipment as well as design and support options to help you get the kitchen you need. Minimum 12 months contract and monthly payments.

Big Hire: A fully inclusive offer ideal for larger and public sector organisations. U-Select will buy the equipment of your choice and hire it to you, or choose from U-Select stock equipment. All design, service, maintenance, parts and labour is included in the rental fee. Minimum 36 month contract.

Buy Easy: This lease-purchase option allows you to buy brand new equipment and is ideal for start-ups and medium sized businesses.

U-Select Approved: A wide selection of U-Select ex-hire equipment available to purchase at excellent rates

Equipment

Company: Frima Stand: 3471 Contact: www.frima-online.com

On stand 3471 FRIMA will be showing speed and versatility with the 211+ VarioCooking Center Multificiency. This modern, multifunctional cooking appliance can replace kettles, large pots, bratt pans, fryers and griddles, saving 30% or more space in the kitchen. It’s super-fast too – four times faster than conventional cooking appliances – pans can get from 0 to 200C in two and a half minutes. For even speedier cooking the 211+ has a pressure cooking feature that can cut cooking times for products such as casseroles, soups and stocks by 50% or more.

FRIMA’s VarioBoost heating system ensures that heat is transferred evenly all over the pan bases so there are no hot spots. Built-in cooking intelligence constantly monitors the process ensuring nothing boils over, sticks or scorches. It even tells chefs when to turn steaks and other shallow fried items. It automatically lowers pasta and vegetables into boiled water and lifts them back out when done.

To demonstrate how quick and easy it is to cook a variety of dishes with a FRIMA, chefs will be cooking on stand with the latest compact FRIMA VarioCooking Center Multificiency 112T – the tabletop version of the full-size FRIMA VarioCooking Center Multificiency.

EQUIPMENT

Company: Cimbali Stand: 1440 Contact: www.cimbaliuk.com

La Cimbali will reveal a major industry advance at Hotelympia with the UK premier of the S30 Perfect Touch, a new generation of ‘super smart’ superautomatics featuring future proof IoT* technology that provides a powerful management information system whilst delivering exceptional coffee quality.

The functional and aesthetic heart of the machine is the touch screen display panel and intuitive graphic interface with integral cloud based network connectivity for the two way exchange of data.

The tempered glass touch screen can be fully customised with menu selections; screen savers; coloured LED lighting; video clips; live news feeds and can also carry branded promotional messaging which becomes an especially powerful sales tool when the S30 is used in self-serve mode.

By collecting and exchanging data automatically using bi-directional Wi-Fi, the S30 can be monitored remotely for quality control; consumption and output levels; fault diagnosis; cleaning and maintenance purposes. Data can be viewed via a PC, tablet or smartphone thereby optimising machine performance and minimising the service cycle.

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What’s new at Hotelympia?

EQUIPMENT

Company: GRAM Stand: 3830 Contact: www.gogreenwithgram.co.uk

equipment Company: Victorian Baking Ovens Stand: 4409 Contact: www.victorianovens.co.uk

This year, Gram will exhibit at renowned trade show Hotelympia on stand number 3830 where visitors can expect to see Gram’s award winning range, the SUPERIORPLUS. This latest model is a forerunner in a new generation of energy efficient refrigeration, combining revolutionary design and ground-breaking technology. The improvements in technology mean that the SUPERIORPLUS 72 is 44 percent more energy efficient than its ‘best in class’ Plus 600 predecessor. Therefore, energy use and running costs have decreased massively from 509kWh year to 285kWh, based on a rate of 10p kWh the average operator can expect to spend only £28.50 per year on the SUPERIORPLUS 72*. As well as the SUPERIORPLUS range, visitors can view Gram’s other energy efficient models that cater for varying space and budget constraints.

Visitors to the stand can also quiz Gram’s sales team on the implications of the imminent EU Eco Design Directive, scheduled for implementation in July 2016, and on how Gram are continuing to lead the way in sustainability.

Victorian Baking Ovens Limited is a family run company, established in1982, manufacturing Catering Equipment specialising in Potato Baking Ovens and Soup Kettles. They supply a range of high quality Baking Ovens in a variety of styles and sizes to suit all requirements. Their High Grade Soupercan Vitreous Enamelled Soup Kettles can be made to the customers own bespoke design.

The latest addition to the Victorian Baking Ovens range is the Red Food Box, Hot food merchandiser. It is an iconic, eye catching design, which is known the world over, with great practical use as a food warmer display cabinet, which would fit into almost any food outlet.

They will be exhibiting a range of our products including the new Red Food Box at Hotelympia on stand 4409.

Trevor Langley Business Profile

BTA Winner – Chris’s Fish and Chips The recently crowned Best Takeaway In East Midlands, Chris’s Fish & Chips in Barwell, then went on to take the coveted Best Takeaway In Britain title at the British Takeaway Awards in London. We caught up with owner Stratis Kyriacou to find out what the awards meant and why he thought the business had been given the top award.

“The BTAs were fantastic and we hope to be in the running again, I’m looking forward to help with the promotion of the awards and think it will be bigger than ever next year.”

After receiving thousands of votes, it quickly became clear that Chris’s enjoys legions of loyal fans. After taking over from his father But this is more than just a popular high street chippy – Chris’s is an integral part of the entire community it serves.

Commenting on what makes his takeaway so popular, the proud owner said: “We serve great fish and chips only sourcing the best local ingredients, using sustainable line-caught fish. We’re also proud to have the largest gluten-free menu you’ll find in any UK fish and chip shop.

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“It’s important to look after everyone. So we have a loyalty card scheme, senior citizen membership which provides discounts and we help to those who are housebound and struggle to get around.

“We have a kids’ club scheme, with competitions and events. We sponsor many local groups, scouts, football teams, cricket teams, bowls clubs and more.’

“For us, it’s not just about the food, we try to be the best at everything we do - we use the best ingredients, the best staff to create the best products.

“I also think people love we way we are with our customers. We go above and beyond, we’re polite, courteous and friendly. It’s not just about fish and chips, but we’re part of the community as well.

“Over the last few years we have seen strong growth in the market and despite people trying to save a bit of money during the banking crisis, we have seen an upturn in sales. Fish and chips are a very popular dish, it is far more nutritious than other takeaways and offers great value for money.

“We can feed a family for around £10 whereas a Chinese or Indian would struggle to feed a couple for that sort of money.”

BTA WINNER Asked about his victory, Stratis told us that the win was nice but one of the main things to remember is that it is the feedback from the customers that he appreciates the most. “It’s great for us to be nominated for awards and to win them but we are focused on other things too, we want to make sure that everyone that walks through the doors get the same quality service and product,” he said.

Owning a business in the fish and chip industry can be hard work and Stratis explained: “When I took over this business it was on the verge of bankruptcy, but I knew that hard work would change it.

“We didn’t change a thing in terms of equipment and the business has exceeded my high expectations through the efforts of my staff and the quality of our food. We are really moving forward and we are trying to get our message out to as many people as possible.”

CHIPS & POTATO PRODUCTS Adding value to your menu and new trends to follow

Chips & Potato Products Potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetable on the market and a high percentage of meals in the QSR market will be accompanied by some sort of potato. The many different forms that potatoes can be served in means that they are a popular choice for many businesses. Over the next few pages we will speak to some of the leading industry voices about their products and the way that you can use them to increase your turnover.

On the panel this month we have: Mohammed Essa – Aviko Richard Musgrave – McCain Nic Townsend – Farm Frites Sheridan Thompson – Major International Gary Johnson – GRH Foods Lynne Webb – Victorian Baking Ovens Cairene Smith – Hook Jonathan Oswald – HipHopChipShop

The Market When looking at the whole market we have to consider every aspect, we have to look at the different types of operators, the size of their business and the type of menu they serve. Potatoes are a key item

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and for the smaller operators they can use one or two products to accompany many of the dishes on the menu. Bigger chains, with a larger premises or menu, may wish to offer a diverse range and these products also play an important role here.

“Chips and potato products are still a huge part of the fast food market as they are cheap, versatile and filling. In many establishments, they form part of a meal deal, which boosts sales and makes customers feel as though they are getting more for their money.”

“Potatoes are hugely important to the QSR market – they offer operators real value for money and their popularity shows no signs of flagging,” according to Mohammed Essa, whilst Lynne Webb said that they are a ‘Great British staple’ and that they are ‘part of our heritage’.

With a market so large it is vital that brands stay on trend and constantly alter their offering. For this reason some of the largest businesses in the industry decide to conduct research.

Mohammed added: “Chips and fries are the heroes of the potato world, accounting for a massive 73% of the servings of potato products in the foodservice market during the year ending September 2014.

“When you consider there were a staggering 1.67 billion potato servings out-of-home in that period – equating to 4.6 million servings each day – it’s extremely important for operators to get their chip offering right. This was backed up by Sheridan who added:

Richard Musgrave gave some insight into the market when commenting on consumer research by McCain’s. He highlighted that chips are critical to consumers’ meal experience, and if the quality does not meet their expectation, there is no hiding place. The consumer research supports this, showing that chips are absolutely essential to the whole meal experience: •Consumers see chips as a really important menu item •More than three quarters of them rate chips as important, very important or essential!

Chips & Potato Products •When consumers eat out they have very fixed ideas on the type and quality of chips they expect to be served, depending on their meal choice •Although consumers are happy to swap a centre of plate item – burger, steak or chicken for example – few refuse to substitute chips for another side •It’s a real love affair – without chips the meal experience is incomplete New products and consumer trends Consumer demand is constantly changing and there is a huge desire for variety and innovation. This doesn’t mean, however, that you need to step away from the humble spud. The popularity of the potato looks set to stay and its versatility means there are countless ways to serve the consumer favourite.

Looking at some of the latest products that you can add to your menu, Mohammed highlighted Aviko’s Hash Brown Bites. They are a twist on the traditional favourite and given the fact that hash browns are the third biggest breakfast item out-of-home, caterers could be missing a trick if they fail to offer the popular side that is also perfect as an all-day option.

When it comes to chips, the everwidening choice of lengths, sizes and textures on offer enables operators to easily refresh menus by rotating everyday varieties with premium options such as Sweet Potato Fries, Supercrunch, Superlong or wedges.

Sometimes however operators have to go against trends and try something different to make them stand out.

Jonathan Oswald told us that it’s not all about new products but about adding a twist, “We have great chips and we’re made them even better by offering a range of flavoured salts, we do a salt with malt vinegar that gives you all the flavour but doesn’t make them soggy, and also a garlic and chilli salt which is by far our most popular.

“We also do a beer salt which some customers are a bit dubious of but once they try them their hooked, it’s a really great product and it’s these little changes that make a difference.”

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Chips & Potato Products

Hook restaurants also do something a little similar and Cairene tells us that they soak their chips in a seaweed salt to give them the best flavour.

Gary, who works in the cheese and dairy industry said that existing products and concepts are being utilised too, he added: “The chips and potato market is booming at the moment and they are a great item for consumers to purchase.

For the operators these offer a great chance to add value to a meal whilst increasing their spend per head.”

“Talking of added value, cheese is one of the best ways to do this. The idea and concept of cheesy chips isn’t new but it is right on trend and is something that our customers are beginning to offer.”

“Flavour is important and we are seeing a trend of spicy foods, with retailers wanting to innovate their menu we are seeing strong sales on the Hot and Spicy Cheddar as this really adds to the side order.”

“Cheese is so versatile in this market and we supply whole blocks, sliced or grated which is ideal for those in the food-to-go and quick service market.”

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“In terms of flavour the Pepper Jack is proving popular, a Monteray cheese with green and red peppers added to it.”

Nic Townsend added: “Potato products go a long way to satisfying the current consumer demand for customisation. We live in a society now where consumers look at a menu and expect to be able to customise their order, from having complete flexibility over side dishes to requesting a modification to suit a particular allergy requirement. Potatoes are a key side dish in this situation and the more choice, the better. It is also important to consider a range of dietary requirements when setting menu choices. Whether consumers choose gluten-free simply as a lifestyle choice or whether they have a health requirement for allergen-free options, it is certainly expected to see a range on any menu.

“The EU Allergy Legislation was introduced in 2014 and more than a year on the industry is thankfully reported to be responding well. A recent Horizon study reports that the number of brands with gluten free menu options is on the increase. 50% of brands studied in Horizon’s ‘Menurama’ in 2015 have gluten free options and the number

of lines available has shown a 135% increase year on year since 2011.

“We made a decision to make sure that all of our fries were allergen-free and are proud that over 90 percent of our range has that accolade. Within our standard range we only have four products which aren’t allergen-free; our coated wedges – and these are made on a specially segregated line to ensure that we can provide allergen-free factories. This is an important demand from some of our larger suppliers and for two years now we have been able to fulfill this demand.

We also only have one product which contains milk so we can satisfy a dairyfree requirement too.”

“Street food inspired dishes with a twist such as seasoned wedges or mash mixed with any one of our Mari Bases can help caterers and businesses trying to keep up with consumer trends” says James Circuit, Development Chef at Major.

Chips are hugely popular, but with fierce competition it can be hard for operators to make their offer stand out.

An easy way to add variety, and identify a ‘signature’ style that consumers

Chips & Potato Products will associate with the outlet, is by offering chips with a range of toppings or seasonings. While the topping or seasoning components themselves don’t need to be unique, creating a range of flavour combinations with a quirky name for each option, will link that taste to the outlet and help operators stand out from the competition.

The main benefits of having chips and potato products on your menu?

Potatoes are incredibly versatile and can actually aid more effective menu management, especially for those catering on a large scale day in, day out. That, along with the popularity of potatoes means your offering can have great stand out, at minimal cost, time and time again. Lynne Webb said that there were some health benefits to offering a baked potato and that the equipment was also good for a business.

Speaking to QuickBite, she said: “A potato oven is good standalone equipment that can also cook and heat other products up which is perfect for those with a small kitchen footprint.

“In terms of the potatoes you can serve them with salad, tuna or beans, all of which are healthy and highlights why they are making a resurgence. They are high in fibre and fit in well with the customized approach that customers are looking for.”

more premium options, such as Korean chicken and kimchi.”

“The low cost and versatility of potatoes make them popular amongst caterers and customers alike. With our Mari Bases, you can transform the humble potato into a variety of different dishes from fajita wedges to Bombay potatoes, the flavour combinations are endless!” says Stuart Andrews, Midlands Business Development Manager at Major.

For some operators such as Jonathan Oswald and Cairene Smith, there is no option but to have chips on the menu.

Jonathan told us that they are the core of the business and without them they couldn’t survive, “it’s what we do, here at the Hip Hop Chip Shop we really believe in quality, you have to pick the very best products and serve them to your customers in a way that they remember.

The market is very busy at the moment and you have to stand out, something as small as a chip can do this.”

Cairene also echoed this saying: “They are so important and coming from Ireland

you could say I’m being a bit sentimental but the truth is if you do something well and you’re passionate about then this reflects in the final product.

“Potatoes are a comfort food whether it be a twice cooked chip or some creamy mash, they make a great side and are essential for both the quick service and takeaway markets.”

Are chips now seen as more of a menu item than a side dish?

Consumer demand has shifted from traditional sit-down meal times to more casual all-day dining which means small plates for snacking or sharing platters are key for boosting sales. They are functional, fun and perfect for large groups, with chips an ideal inclusion.

Chips are undoubtedly favourites and will always prove a popular and profitable option – the ability to upsell with toppings such as melted cheese can add variety and be priced at a premium but at minimum cost.

Richard also touch on jacket potatoes saying: “Jacket potatoes are perfect for lunch menus as an increasing number of customers are looking for healthier options that are filling, tasty and offer value for money. To help caterers meet this demand McCain has launched Signatures Jackets. Slow baked using only the best British baking potatoes caterers can deliver crispy skin, a fluffy texture and fresh oven-baked flavour, in under 15 minutes.

“The jacket is often overlooked, but its versatility means it can be used on the menu all year round and fillings can be adapted to suit any outlet. From those who pride themselves on a value for money offer, whose customers want more traditional toppings, such as beans and cheese, to caterers offering on-trend 31

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Chips & Potato Products Nic added: “No, but I do think that they are, and will remain to be, a popular and substantial side dish. Consumers like to see chips as an option for side orders and operators do well to have a variety of cut styles, shapes, skin-on, wedges etc. so that they have choice.

“However, I do agree that chips do certainly bridge the gap into main courses when you look at the trend for sharing plates. Across the eating out market, 10% choose to share a starter, main course or dessert and items which can be eaten as finger food are popular as they are less fiddly and offer ease of

dipping and eating. Crisps, wedges and chips can be easily picked up without the need for cutlery or cocktail sticks.”

“Chips are still seen as a side dish but consumers are always looking for something new and different” says Brian Eastment, “Whether they are seasoned or prepared in a different way, such as the recent trend for triple cooking, customers want to try new flavours and textures to enhance their dining experience.”

Cairene followed these comment by also saying no, she told us that chips were part of every meal, whilst Jonathan told

us that some people did occasionally come for a single portion, but that many of them would be taking them home to add as a side to another dish, or too eat as a snack not a meal.

Adele Procter, McCain Development Chef said that added value was another great way to add value, telling us “Another simple way to add value to your chip offer and ensure menu standout with topped chip dishes is a finishing splash of infused oil. More familiar flavours, such as garlic and chilli are popular, but we are seeing operators use all sorts of more unusual flavours, including lemon and cocoa bean, and on-trend options such as coconut oil.

“Another popular trend at the moment, which can be used to give potato products a unique twist, is by combining contrasting flavour profiles - whether it’s sweet, savoury, or bitter. We have a delicious recipe for Sweet & Salty Fries, McCain Sweet Potato Fries with salted caramel sauce, a simple dish which creates menu standout. We expect to see this trend of sweet and savoury combinations continue, with other ingredients that are usually found on the desert menu, making their way onto sides.”

Today’s consumer are far more health conscious when it comes to food, what are the best options for them in this market?

Mohammed was first to answer this by saying: “Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and cutting out starchy food could put you at increased risk of nutrient deficiency – in fact, the government guidelines state that a third of our diet should be made up from starchy food. As well as a good source of energy, the humble potato is bursting with vitamins B1, B6, B12 and C, while sweet potatoes are full of beta carotene (a vitamin A pre-cursor) and are packed with potassium.”

Aviko can also support operators when it comes to salt reduction. Since 2009, we’ve removed 18 tonnes of salt across our range of frozen and chilled potato products – including staples such as 32

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Chips & Potato Products its Roast Potatoes, Mash and Herb Dice Potatoes – while products such as Aviko’s Premium Fries contain no added salt at all. Much of the product range – such as Hash Brown Bites, Sweet Potato Fries and Garlic & Herb Wedges – meet or fall well under Responsibility Deal salt targets so it’s never been easier for operators to cut sodium chloride from their dishes.

In addition, Aviko can help chefs cater for the 1 in every 100 people diagnosed with coeliac disease. Operators can be safe in the knowledge that Aviko’s most popular products, including our Premium Fries range, are produced in a dedicated gluten-free factory, offering an easy way to meet the demand for coeliac friendly dishes – something not all potato product suppliers can guarantee.

Nic joined in and then told us: “The latest Food Watch Report picks up an ‘All Being Well’ trend which highlights the importance of embracing gluten-free, feeling able to eliminate the bad and enjoy ‘better for me’ indulgence.

“Operators are showing great response rates since the introduction of the allergen legislation. In spring 2014, only 34 percent of operators stated that they were aware and had already made changes. Fast forward to spring 2015, just six months in, and this number had risen to 83 percent – a great reflection on the commitment the industry has and the acceptance of consumer requirements.

“These factors drove us to think about a convenient gluten-free option which would suit these operators and we have recently expanded our range of hash browns to include an oval shape which mimics a burger bun and is perfect for offering simple, but tasty ‘bunless’ burgers and baps whilst still providing a filling meal. They can also be used as an added value product for those who eat in a bun.

“Made with fluffy potato and fresh onion, they are packed full of flavour yet still achieve the new salt pledge targets as laid out in the Government’s 2017 Public Health Responsibility Deal. We are proud that this product was recently shortlisted in the Free From awards from 34

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Specialist suppliers of FLAVOURED cheese A Consistent Superior Quality Cheese Superb Melting and flavour functionality for food service Competitively priced for the market place - GRATED - BLOCK - SLICED -

GRH Food Company Ltd | 01766 810062 sales@grhltd.co.uk | www.grhfood.co.uk

Chips & Potato Products Food Matters, which is testament to the popularity of the allergen-free recipe.

“Free From ranges are here to stay and I think they create a good opportunity.

We are committed to developing future ranges that continue to recognise that allergen-free is a consumer trend that will continue to grow as we increase our knowledge on the impact food has on our digestive health.

“Skin-On fries are also becoming a popular choice with consumers who understand the health benefits of the skins being left on the chip when it is cooked. Vital nutrients are retained in the

skins and I think that we’ll see growth in this area. We are currently looking into expanding our Home-Style range which features skin-on products to fit with this trend and offer more choice for health conscious consumers.”

As well as all of the aforementioned styles one thing that can be certain is that baked potatoes are often regarded as the healthiest form of the ingredient, Lynne Webb commented saying: “There is a real trend towards baked potatoes and we are seeing a real uptake in this area of the market. Offering these types of product can really boost you offering and your profits.

“Baked potatoes are so versatile and for those wanting something a little heathier, that isn’t fried then these are a must.

“Jacket potatoes are a highly nutritious and low fat meal when you add a healthy topping, and are perfect for the food to go market.”

As you will be aware the products in this category are very diverse and as such it is part of the foodservice industry that nearly every operator uses. The panellists in this feature have covered their products and the changes that they can make to their menus and inventories, as a result of consumer spending habits.

Case Study

Chippy in the Midlands uses mobile tech & Twitter to double business into social media and mobile technology and are reaping the benefits of using Twitter to regularly promote offers and competitions that customers can get by getting involved.

Nick Vine, who owns and runs the shop said “I use social media all the time and so do our customers, from using their phone to order to letting us know how much they enjoy our food, so it made sense to us that we could interact and engage with more customers than normal and put weekly special offers which would entice more customers to order that may not always pass by the shop”

With the ever-changing face of technology and the significant rise of connecting with customers via social media in the food industry, many takeaways and food outlets are seeing the advantages of incorporating mobile technology and using social media to reach customers they may not initially touch as well as increase loyalty within an increasingly competitive market.

The Village Chippy in Bulkington, Coventry have taken the leap forward 36

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The next logical step for the business was to get their own mobile ordering system so their regular customers could order food easily, whilst they could save on commission charges and build loyalty amongst their growing customer base. The app, built by mobile & online ordering specialists Appaway, provided them with everything they needed to manage and promote their shop through mobile technology - receiving orders through an online dashboard and printer, allowing them to offer direct discounts and offers to customers, allowing them to update their menus and communicate to their customers whenever they want through the app to build and secure

loyalty from their customer base.

“It was something I was thinking about for a while, as we were getting charged commission and losing money through our customers that order food regularly from us. By getting the mobile ordering system, we saved money on our commission bill, increased profit and could promote it through social media and marketing channels to attract more customers to using the app” So far, orders through the app for Village Chippy are increasing every month and they are saving a significant amount of money every year. Nick is always looking at how the industry is changing and how customers are increasingly wanting to use new and innovative channels to get their fish and chips.

“Our customers love the fact that we’re on Twitter and have a mobile ordering app, as it means they can order food with just a few clicks, making their life easier and keeps them up to date with what we’re doing – just by updating our opening times on Twitter we can save someone a potentially wet and windy trip only to find we’re closed, to letting everyone know their favourite chippy is open on Sundays”

DIGITAL

SIGNAGE

USING TECHNOLOGY TO MODERNISE YOUR BUSINESS

In the world of food-to-go we see changes on a near daily basis. The competitiveness in the market and the number of outlets operating in the sector means that owners are constantly looking for ways to keep ahead. In recent years one of the main ways that a business can gain an advantage is by investing in technology. There are numerous items that you can buy from point of sale equipment, ordering systems and mobile payment options. Once all of these are in place the next stage is to consider your marketing, menus and display systems.

Recently the number of businesses investing in digital signage has rocketed.

Digital signs have many advantages and in this feature we’ll be speaking to some of the leading authorities on these products as well as some end users who are already reaping the rewards of buying them.

First we’ll look at some of the feedback that we have received here at QuickBite magazine and explore some of the advantages of installing digital signage.

Modernisation – Digital signs are clean looking, modern display units much like televisions, they are versatile enough to perform a number of functions and they give your business as a more premium feel.

Menu Display – Most digital signage is used to display menus. This is not only an attractive option due to the way that it looks but for the ease at which a business can make changes to their menu. The space that the screen provides is far greater than a paper menu. This means that businesses can include far more information such as calorific content, ingredients and dietary requirements.

Promotion – Digital display boards are a great way to promote meal deals and give operators in this sector the chance to upsell their products. They can display items to add to a meal or an item. Takeaways in particular use these boards to show a range of toppings or items that will add value to a dish. Away from the food side things digital signage is a great way to tell customers about any

events that you may have coming up or to promote special weekly deals and reward schemes.

Ease of use – Printed menus or hand written boards require constant updating.

This cost money and time whereas a digital display Baird can be updated quickly and easily from a computer at little to no cost. Amendments or additions can also be made quickly and easily.

Branding – By using a digital display board to show your branding, colours, logos and USPs, you can reinforce your business identity and ethic to the consumer. Research shows that there is a movement from the big chains to independent businesses, especially in the food and drink market. There is however a higher return rate by those who feel that the independent business that they are shopping is part of a group. By displaying you brand clearly there is a higher chance that your customers will remember you and return.

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Digital Signage For more on the advantages of digital signage we decided to speak to some of the industry experts, our panellists this month are:

It also reduces perceived wait times by as much as 35% therefore making a smoother customer experience as many people can choose whilst waiting.

Elliot Oshoko - AdGen Janice Fairfield – Fairfield Displays Drew Harding – Eclipse Digital Media Dan Thornton – Hughes Europe Stuart McLean – Zonal Sam Steele – Prime Burger/Rotisserie Chicken

Dynamism is the key to digital signage and the ability to change your displays quickly and easily is vital. Dan Thornton and he added: “Today’s digital signage gives businesses in food retail the chance to use dynamic video, text or graphics to get their message straight to customers at the moment of greatest impact, boosting sales and speeding up service.

What are the main benefits of using digital signage for small businesses?

Janice Fairfield explained to us that the sales increases by installing digital signage speak for themselves and stating that research has shown by just adding these products to your business you can increase sales by 371%. She also touched on the fact that they allow you to display a lot of information in a small area. This is a clear indicator that businesses are growing on the back of digital signage, but we must not just look at profitability but the other benefits too.

Drew Harding went on to explain the benefits his customers have had, saying: “There are numerous benefits for all businesses and sectors but especially for small ones that want to stand out from the crowded marketplace. Some of the benefits are as follows.

“Users can schedule content and offers based on time, day, date or even weather.

This is ideal for customer facing screens in food outlets, allowing the most relevant menus and offers to be displayed at optimal times. For example a hot drink offer to be automatically displayed when the temperature falls below 10 degrees in the outlets location.

“80% of brands experienced a significant increase of up to 33% in additional sales through the use of digital signage with an appeal more towards hedonic products rather than planned purchases. This statistic alone shows the importance of digital signage in customer facing business.

“Digital signage window displays can increase footfall substantially, with one retailer noting a 24% increase in footfall.

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“Instead of being baffled by the choices or distracted by friends and fellow customers when a store is busy, anyone entering a restaurant or take-away can immediately see the menu and the range of choices available on high-quality, robust screens, located for optimum visibility.

“The dynamic nature of the content means businesses can use the screens to publicise menus, special offers, forthcoming promotions, new items, or to communicate their history and values. It is also now very easy to tailor content to particular groups of customers likely to be in a store at a particular time of day, such as students.

“The use of interactive kiosks, which use touch-sensitive screens, is another aspect that can alleviate the pressure when a store is busy, allowing customers to create their own choices and place an order really quickly.”

Stuart McLean added: “Digital signage can be a useful and cost effective tool to increase sales through dynamic advertising that supports your promotions, events and product placement. Zonal clients that have invested in AdMargin have found it truly beneficial in terms of building sales and running successful promotions, as they can tailor and market their offers and message to meet the various needs of their customers at different times of the day and week.”

From an end user perspective Sam Steele said: “It massively simplifies the process and cost of menu display: The menus in each of our outlets are all different in size, orientation and design. At St Pancras the five over-head menu boards were over 1.5m tall by 1m wide, printed on magnetic vinyl and were difficult and a bit dangerous to change and easily damaged. Artwork had to be created in different formats and several print orders placed when menu changes occurred.

The lead time for print meant responding to local opportunities was impossible.”

Smaller chains and independents can also benefit from digital signage according to Elliot Oshoko: “Digital signage is often employed by the largest chains, but thanks to advances in technology it is accessible to smaller independent businesses too. It can help your business to stand out even in the face of flashy high street names and you can continue to communicate with the customer once “There is a reason why large businesses have been embracing digital signage

Digital Signage

for years - it enables you to showcase your products and prices in a far more compelling way than a static sign ever could. It bridges the gap between the all-singing-all-dancing online marketplace and the traditional retail space, giving customers all the offers and insight that they could possibly need.”

How easy is digital signage to manage and update for the business owner?

When it comes to Janice mentioned just how easy it was to updated digital screens saying: “There are two basic option media players. One is where you simply save photos and videos to a USB stick and just load the information straight onto the screen. This is the most economical solution and idea if you are not updating information on a daily basis.

“Alternatively, screens can be networked which means you can update information from any device linked to the internet making it incredibly easy to update screens at different locations. Screens can be linked directly to website pages or information can be uploaded using templates.”

Elliot also suggested that it way easy: “It’s a lot easier than you may think! An accessible and flexible toolkit such as AdGen gives you all you need to create your own playlist of ads and notices. The only hardware that you need is a device

that can run Google’s Chrome browser, a regular TV or monitor and you will need to be able to connect to the web.”

Janice continued: “The actual changing of the content is incredibly easy with templates designed for the non-technical person.” This was something that Drew then echoed saying: “Digital Signage networks can be designed to need very little interaction from staff.

“Updating content can be as easy as changing the numbers on an excel spreadsheet and uploading it to embed signage - it really can be as simple as that for changing content.

“For businesses with multiple devices or locations, the entire network can be easily grouped together and managed extremely quickly. Having a single online dashboard to see all of your devices including the content current being played allows businesses to easily maintain their network, including being able to update displays individually or simultaneously with a couple of clicks.”

Stuart McLean also seemed to agree suggesting that it’s very simple to create engaging content such as images, video or web animations and automatically stream them onto digital signage.

“Zonal’s AdMargin, for example, is designed to offer support from single site operators to multiples.

“A play list control enables a simple schedule to be set up which is then applied to every display in the venue, whilst having the flexibility to adjust to the location, behaviours, hardware, screen size and other factors,” he said.

Whilst this all sounds easy Dan was keen to express the need for a professional solution saying: “Digital signage is now really easy to manage if it is professionally installed and maintained by a managed services company with the right combination of experience and expertise.

Content can be streamed from a central server at head office via secure internet connections, making it very straightforward for management to update content or to ensure that different menus or features are displayed at different times of the day or week.

A business can even divide screens to show different types of content (including news or lifestyle programming from a third party) or introduce a news ticker along the bottom to hold the attention of customers waiting for their orders or eating in-store.

Many systems allow for individual store managers to display content approved by head office, perhaps in relation to in-store promotions or community events. These have been shown to be highly effective in generating extra sales.” As a business owner who has used these services Sam told us: “The company we use are very Issue 29 February 2016

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Digital Signage integrated with the EPoS system so the values automatically update, even if they change over the day.”

Technology is evolving and Janice mentioned that the screens have really developed. Super bright screens are just coming onto the market at economical prices making it possible to show digital displays day and night.

She added: “It is now possible to have small screens starting from 24” with a brightness of 1500 nits which is more than 5 times brighter than a standard TV.

supportive and help to manage menu updates across our menu boards. We now can commission one piece of digital artwork in portrait and landscape format for a one-off special or entire menu and state the days, times & frequency of rotation that the menu needs to be on screen and the signage company do the rest via a computer screen in their office.

“Standing in store I can make one call and change everything in one location or all the screen across all of our outlets: If it’s an unexpectedly hot day, we can put a delicious milkshakes & ice cream image on high rotation in minutes.”

What developments have there been in the market over the last few years?

Knowing the customer and allowing them to interact are two trends that all businesses like to achieve and Dan Thornton told us: “Since businesses tend to know more about their customers now, either through customer relationship management systems or by using technology to monitor footfall, flow and customer profiles, it is now possible to relate digital display content far more closely to the preferences and habits of segmented groups. Schoolchildren, pensioners or parents may come in at different times of day and content can be 40

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altered to target their preferences.

“The use of interactive kiosks is also taking off. Younger customers are much more attuned to the idea of using screens to make menu choices. One of the key developments in this field is the incorporation of printers, bar-code scanners and payment devices, which means not only can customers print off their order at a kiosk, they can also pay for it without having to spend time at the counter. All that remains is for them to pick up the order.”

Today’s digital screens are not only more affordable, but they are now considerably more intuitive and dynamic. It’s very simple to manage content and operate digital screens, which can be tailored to meet the needs of customers at different times of the day or week. Digital screen technology has developed so there is no need to create content for individual sites within your business, but they can be created to respond to purchases at the POS, location, environment, time of day or even local weather conditions for a truly personalised experience, according to Stuart, who added: “It’s possible to automatically customise posters based on each site’s values, by merging rich media content with live data.

“With Zonal’s AdMargin, for example, it’s

Targeting your audience is key and one thing that Prime Burger noticed was exactly that, Sam said: “The market that Prime Burger and Rotisserie Chicken operate in are busy footfall areas where people are on the move and want food in a hurry. Increasingly ABC1 25-55yr olds are more appreciative of good quality food and do not want to have to trade down on quality, or go for a sandwich option, just because they’re in a rush.”

Drew also touched on the screens but added that wireless technology was also playing a role, he told us: “The Digital Signage industry has been evolving rapidly over the last couple of years with a large increase in the adoption of all in one screens with built in WiFi, removing the need for an external media player or data points (in most cases). This convenience not only saves money but also increases reliability and aesthetics.

“Interactive or touch screen content is becoming the ‘norm’ creating a vastly more engaging and immersive experience. Quite I see people prodding at screens expecting them to be touch.

“Ultra HD or 4K content is quickly becoming more and more popular in providing an even-more-so impactful display, especially with video content.

Some businesses have been looking to the future, such as AdGen and Elliot said: “At the sci-fi end of things we have been experimenting with transparent glass screens that form part of a fridge door, but the most important advances are a little more mundane than that! undane than that!

Digital Signage Fast, wireless broadband and 4G connections allow us to use ‘cloudbased’ tools and playlists so it easy to manage ads across several sites from one central location. Meanwhile, small, powerful devices such as smartphones, tablets or even Google’s tiny Chromecast are all able to run AdGen’s digital signage software. That’s a revolution in itself - there is no need for a PC costing thousands to create and play high quality ads. In fact, most venues already have most of the kit that they need to create digital signage; that is a massive leap for this industry.

The next step is likely to come from the so called ‘internet of things’. This is the integration of networks of sensors that are connected to the internet. When used with digital signage it can mean that your ads will react to traffic levels, live weather data or just about any other input you can think of! So when the rain starts your signs will automatically switch to displaying ads for umbrellas, which is pretty cool.

How can businesses see a return on their investment in digital signage?

Investment in digital signage gives returns when properly implemented. Studies show that impulse buying goes up by as much as 20 per cent when a store correctly deploys digital signage, while special promotions specific to a particular outlet double the amount of attention from viewers.

one company to deal with for the whole system.

A provider that is not tied into a specific brand or type of technology is also best, as such companies will also only install what really helps the individual business overcome its specific challenges. It is important that the provider is not wedded to one solution, because an open mind and plenty of experience are crucial to providing the best fit.

Using animated or video content is key to getting the most out of your digital signage according to Drew. “Animated content receives five times more viewers than static according to intel. A study by DS-IQ found that shorter ads of around 15 seconds lifted sales by 50% more than a 30 second one.

“Indeed 29.5% of customers find digital menus influential for purchase of a product and 1 in 5 people make an unplanned purchase after seeing items featured on digital screens. This increase will quickly cover the cost of digital signage investment,” he said.

This was backed up by Elliot who added: “It is proven that the more engaging and dynamic the media, the more effective it is in selling a product. Global market research experts Nielsen showed that an animated digital sign creates 33% more sales than its printed equivalent, which

speaks for itself.

Aside from the boost in revenue that digital signage can create, it is also possible to make savings from it too. For example, if you run a venue that requires frequent printing of posters, flyers or menus then digital signage could mean an end to short print runs and outdated material being thrown in the bin.

Other than the large sales uplift as mentioned before, businesses can save time and money through minimising staff intervention switching from static to digital signage. Over 3 years digital signage could save £4,612.50 based on 2 displays with embed signage licenses.

Advertising on your displays can be an additional and profitable revenue stream.

Advertisers can charge 800% more on digital signage than a static poster, 1200% if the content is interactive.

Janice said that the screens were a simple profitable way to get an immediate return on your investment as you pay as you go.

Good planning, with regularly changing information on the screens will ensure the best results. A simple way to get a fast return on your investment is to guide people to profitable items on your menu and then suggest an up-sale or promote special offers/events. Good photography is worth the investment as it will boost your response levels.

Since content is streamed, it is easy to adapt, so a take-away operator can use the screens to flash up key phone numbers for orders, allowing customers to put them into their mobiles while waiting or eating, ready for future use.

Poor technology choices and downtime are the biggest barriers to achieving these gains. A managed services provider will make sure businesses get it right. They will eliminate downtime by providing different types of broadband connectivity so that if one goes down, the other will operate as backup.

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Digital Signage “Integration with EPOS systems can mean orders can be displayed on screen for both staff and consumers, increasing communication speed.

“Food businesses need to provide consumers with information about any allergenic ingredients in the foods they sell by law. Interactive food allergy information boards are a great way to provide the necessary information with just a touch, it also reduces the necessity to update printed materials regularly.

“Integration with mobile app ordering systems such as Flypay, to show live on screen data of orders to manage customer expectations, up sell and promote the service.”

Dan mentioned that as well as communicating with customers, digital signage can also be used to update staff on product developments and company news. The content can be delivered to staff after hours or via screens in staff rooms.

Can digital signage be used for a number of purposes, if so what?

Digital Signage can be used to show menus, forthcoming coming events, information on different locations and special offers. Alternatively, use the screen to enhance the environment with stunning photography or graphics. In the winter you could have a fire burning brightly to help promote a cosy dinner for two, were some of the suggestions made

by Janice. Sam on the other hand said that they helped with a full day of trading.

Commenting on the signs in his business he said: “We use our menu screens to differentiate between day parts, to push specials, and for brand messaging. As the screens can be easily changed, it is simple & quick to create any message we like and put it up on the screen within minutes. It is possible to have your Twitter, Instagram or news feed live scrolling on the screen. You can also invest in video 42

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and animation to really bring your brand story or menus to life.”

Drew also covered a couple of them for us saying: “Firstly communications. Both internal, notifying staff about the latest company news and external, providing safety or emergency announcements for example. Errors in internal communications are expensive. A study

by SMB Communications revealed that the cumulative cost per worker per year due to productivity losses resulting from communication barriers is £17,737. Digital displays capture 400% more views than static displays so you be sure everyone is informed. Promotion of products or sale items, whether this be a ‘loss leader’ to draw people in or on-the-fly promotion of a product that is overstocked, digital signage is ideal.

“Advertising on Digital signage as part of or all of your signage can quickly recuperate initial investment.

Modern systems make it easy to adapt what is shown as the content is streamed from the server at head office. This may seem unnecessary, but there is evidence that sales of seasonal promotions are boosted by double-digit percentage points once staff have been shown videos giving them the information about what to sell and how to sell it.

Where can digital signage be used and what will I need to get started?

Digital Signage can be used in multiple locations and industries. Pretty much anywhere a digital display can be placed, but Stuart added that footfall was key, saying: “Digital signage can be used anywhere within your venue, but we recommend high footfall destinations, such as food ordering points, where you can display key promotional opportunities that support your upselling messages.

“To get started, we would suggest integration is a major benefit, so the technology is intertwined with your till and loyalty programmes and doesn’t sit separately.

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Digital Signage with its own software that is accessed via a computer and allows you to drag and drop information straight onto the screen.

Whilst Drew added his list of what to get started with 1. A Display; commercial grade being highly recommended.

2. A media player; may already be built in to the display (Samsung SSSP displays for example).

3. Digital Signage software to manage your network and content (embed signage for example) 4. Lastly a working internet connection to publish your content to the screen.

Sam was keen to talk about the screens and the fact that menu design and imagery was key, he told us: “Anywhere that you can hang a screen, with access to a plug socket will get you going.

Simpler set-ups run with content on a USB stick plugged into the screen that can be changed manually.

Image courtesy of eclipse digital media “Speaking to a recognised and experienced provider with industry experience is highly recommended.”

A few examples for restaurant and fast food outlets could be • Digital Menu Boards • Interactive menu boards • Window displays • POS promo displays • Mobile app order & collect display screens • Allergy information boards • Video walls Digital signage is very adaptable. Its uses range from petrol stations to upmarket fashion stores and it is equally effective across all industries It is ideal in a fastpaced, and probably noisy, quick-service environment where speed is of the essence and customers want to absorb a limited amount of information, such as menu choices, very quickly. A good piece of content can be worth a thousand words shouted by a harassed waiter or a server behind a counter.

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track record in delivery and maintenance.

Infrastructure is important because effective digital signage has to be underpinned by robust broadband connectivity. A managed services provider that is well-versed in many kinds of technology and connectivity will take care of what is required and ensure it is fully maintained.

It is important to have one good provider, because achieving the full potential of digital signage and realising all its potential gains will not work if a business relies on bits and pieces from different suppliers, installers and maintenance companies. In fact it is a real recipe for failure.

Janice then informed us that there were two things to consider to get yourself set up and listed two options: Option 1: A professional media player plus an electrical socket, you will also need a computer with software that allows you to save Jpegs or Mpegs and a USB stick.

Option 2: Screens with built-in media players allow you to connect to the internet using a LAN (wired) or Wi-Fi connection. The screen normally comes

“It is a capex cost of the screen, the software to run it either via subscription to an internet-based system, or through a small computer box attached to the screen. Once you’ve got the digital set up, you must invest in decent menu design and professional hi res food photography.

After all, there’s no point having a Rolls Royce engine under the hood of a beatup saloon chassis.”

Elliot said that mobile technology plays an important role and that you need very little to get started, he told us: “It can be used pretty much anywhere that you can think of! And all you need to get started with AdGen is an Android device with an HD output, a web connection and a screen to see your wonderful adverts on. Chances are you will already have wi-fi and a TV or monitor, so it really isn’t a big step to put them to use promoting your business.”

Whatever the size of your business the benefits of buying and installing digital signage are clear. They give your offering a premium appearance and help you to interact visually with your customers. The ease at which they can be updated is a positive for those whose focus is to serve food, and the fact that they offer you the chance to promote items and upsell is a major plus.

Tea Review In the UK, consumers spend nearly £600m on tea every year and of this close to 20% is spent in coffee shops, tea rooms and food-to-go outlets. This is a huge market and is one that many savvy business owners can benefit from.

The landscape of the tea market has changed more in the last few years than ever. Whilst black tea still leads the way in terms of sales, the dominance that it once had, is no way near what it was. Speciality teas such as Earl Grey and fruit teas are seeing solid growth but the real market movement is coming from the sales of green teas. As consumers look for what they perceive to be healthier products green tea sales have rocketed and this looks like one of the trends that is set to continue. Another interesting change in the ‘tea-scape’ is the demand for premium products, often loose teas and sales in this sector have also been strong.

Over the next few pages we speak to some of the leading industry voices in the world of tea and hear their views about consumer buying habits, the latest trends and what to look out for in the next 12 months. We then taste samples from some of the UK’s finest producers and give you the rundown on the blends that you should be selling.

On the Panel: Marie Finch – Tea Vintage Sarah Lovell – Leaf Cafe Isabelle Haynes – Tetley Sam Selwood – Tea Street Blog John Vincent - Ringtons

We started by asking our panel about the most popular blends on the market at the moment and it was really interesting to hear a difference in opinion. Black tea, as we know is the biggest seller but in terms of popularity we are seeing a real shift.

Isabelle Hayes informed us that black tea remains the most popular tea sector, accounting for 60% of demand, however during recent years the UK has seen an explosion in the green and fruit & herbal tea sectors, growing at 19% and 7% respectively according to latest

Nielsen data. Discussing this growth she said: “This growth has been driven by increasingly adventurous and health conscious consumers who have begun to move away from the classic brew, exploring premium blends within the green, fruit and herbal categories. This is due to their flavour varieties and perceived health benefits, such as naturally caffeine free fruit and herbal blends.”

Sam Selwood who runs the Tea Street blog also agreed saying: “If I was to guess, I’d say that standard ‘breakfast tea’ (builder’s tea) would still be one of the most popular type of tea sold in Britain today and I don’t think the nation will ever leave it behind completely... it got us through the war after all!

“However, people who love quality loose black teas and don’t mind the extra preparation could be making ‘Earl Grey’ or possibly a Ceylon-based ‘afternoon tea

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Tea Review blend’ compete for popularity.”

As consumers take a healthier approach to their tea Sam added: “Green tea has taken off big time over recent years, charged by the health food industry and even high-grade Japanese teas like ‘Matcha’ are becoming well known for apparent weight-loss properties.”

Marie Finch agreed with the healthy angle as did Sarah Lovell. Marie saying: “The most popular blends on the market we see are rooibos and chai teas. More and more people are starting to see the massive health benefits of tea and are taking an interest in tea beyond the dusty black tea teabags.”

Whilst Sarah added: “Flavoured teas – people are experimenting more and like to have a wide selection to choose from. Specifically over the past couple of months, festive blends have proved popular as an alternative to their alcoholic counterparts. Now we’re into the New Year, health and well-being is very much at the fore of people’s minds and as such our green and white teas are popular choices, due to being high in antioxidants.”

Ringtons added their findings with john saying: “Statistically black tea is in slow decline – and has been for a number of years now – however black tea still makes up 80% of the market and is still very popular.

Loose leaf tea There has been a rise in sales of loose leaf teas as consumer look for a more premium product. Loose leaf teas offers an element of theatre to businesses and looks aesthetically pleasing to the customer. Marie Finch backed this up saying: “Loose leaf is on the rise and I do think for some people it’s about the quality of the tea and taste of the drink you get from the whole leaf that’s making them buy it. But I do think it’s a fashionable trend. We (Tea Vintage) have spent over 5 years touring around the UKs biggest festivals and see that even though people are going for quality tea, they are still opting for the tea bag over tea leaf because of its easiness to brew.” The curiosity and adventure of the consumer also plays a part in the rise of loose leaf sales, Sarah Lovell adding: “There is a growing culture of people being more adventurous with their food and drink, and wanting to try new things. Many of our customers are well

“Similarly to national trends which show green tea as being on the rise, our own China Green Sencha, Jasmine Green, Organic Green Dragon and Mint Marrakesh blends also top our 20 biggest loose tea sellers; showing there is a clear appetite for a variety of green tea blends.

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Sales in herbal, fruit, green and white teas are growing year on year. Not only are these teas healthier in their own right, they negate the need for milk and sugar - a huge benefit in a market which has seen a vast increase in the sale of fat free, sugar free and dairy free alternatives.

Isabelle Hayes also touched on the health trend as a reason for loose leaf teas and suggests that the market will continue to grow. She said: “In the value-added green and fruit & herbal segments with consumers’ continued growing interest in the macro health trend, in-depth market analysis shows a significant increase in out of home tea consumption (+3% latest Kantar data) most of which is loose leaf.

Sam Selwood acknowledged that ‘Builder’s tea’ was always geared for convenience, she said: “It brews quickly and you can just chuck away the teabag, but we’re all starting to know that loose leaf tea tastes better than dusty teabags so I think a lot of effort has gone in to making loose leaf tea convenient and mobile for people on the go.

“This includes the silk pyramids that I’ve

“At Ringtons our own sales figures are better than national findings and our biggest sellers remain English Breakfast, Assam, Earl Grey and Classic 1907 – all very well established black tea blends.

“In a similar vein fruit and herbal are also growing in popularity nationally which is also reflected in our sales with Peppermint, Camomile and Rooibos all growing year-on-year.

the national drink of India, is one of our biggest sellers.

travelled and enjoy the culture and flavours they experience abroad, seeking this on their return. Chai,

mentioned but more recently I’d say that ‘infusing travel mugs’ are becoming popular. I use a ceramic tea mug with a strainer in the top, which I just take out when it’s finished brewing and I also like the glass ‘Tea-iere’, which is like coffee’s cafetiere, made by the tea brand ‘Jing’.”

Tea Review John Vincent added: “Loose tea had been declining for a number of years, but latest data actually indicates a very slight raise of 0.7% in volume. We believe there’s a couple of reasons for this growth – firstly the ongoing popularity of afternoon tea where premium loose tea like Ringtons is used to create a superior service, and is often then replicated at home. Secondly the growth of the ‘hipster’ subculture in which we are seeing a nod to more traditional way of living, fits rather nicely with loose tea drinking, and we think this has in-turn helped boost sales of loose tea.

profiles that Tetley’s were looking at.

She told us that the essential collection of ten new enveloped teas were carefully selected based on consumers’

What are the spending habits of consumers like in the market?

Trends for 2016 Marie Finch predicts that one of the trends for 2016 will be Matcha tea (powdered green tea), “It is already a big hit and super healthy, but I think this will only get more popular. Rooibos tea is a big seller for us (we have a bakewell tart rooibos) and every year we are selling more and more so I would expect to see more varieties of rooibos too.”

Sarah Lovell says that trust was a big issue, saying: “In 2015 we worked on building people’s trust in our judgement, encouraging new flavours and different types of tea.

“Our Tea of the Week and Tea Club membership introduced people to the wonderful world of tea, and 2016 is about developing that interest and sourcing a more exclusive range of high end products that our consumers will appreciate.

“Smoothies and juices have been a strong favourite for the health conscious in 2015, but for 2016 cold brews would be a trend to look out for – infusing tea leaves/herbal blends overnight, allowing all of the goodness to flavour and enhance the water. With a fast paced cafe environment we are not sure how this will work as a to-go product, however we plan to kit the consumer with the very best leaves and all the info they require to do this from home.”

Isabelle Hayes added that it was flavour

Grey and English Breakfast cater for this market.

The total spend at breakfast, dinner and snacking times is higher than average with tea when compared to coffee.

This demonstrates that tea encourages food consumption and as it is a popular beverage across the day, provides great potential for operators of all kinds to increase sales. For example encouraging early morning link purchases alongside a cup of tea with recipes such as on trend takeaway breakfast pots.”

favourite flavour profiles.

The collection aims to help operators maximise their tea menus, by offering a wider selection of best-selling blends to suit a variety of taste preferences and complement each day part.

“With berry and lemon flavours being the most popular fruit varieties, the new blends feature an intensely fruity Raspberry and Pomegranate and a zesty Lemon and Ginger. The new Mint Fusion is a restorative and complex blend of peppermint, spearmint and applemint leaves.

“Green tea is growing phenomenally well and tropical Green Tea with Mango has been added following consumer research, with this flavour scoring the highest rating, she added.”

“Hot beverage consumers have a high demand for quality products, with 53% indicating they would spend more on a premium tea, blends such as Tetley Earl

Marie Finch has noticed that customers will keep to a standard, cheaply priced normal tea bag brew for everyday drinking but will splash out on top quality whole leaf tea whether its loose or bagged for a treat once a week or for gifts for friends and family.

Sarah Lovell argued that people are happy to pay for quality more often however. She said that when given the choice, customers do not mind paying extra for a premium product, knowing they may enjoy it more or it is a healthier option.

The average price per kilogram of black tea is down year-on-year – latest figures are -1.4% on the previous years’ figures according to John. He said that in a hugely competitive marketplace, tea brands have been somewhat forced to drive down the price of tea to compete and in turn this has meant the consumer, pays less for a final product.

At Ringtons our focus is, and always will be, on quality and freshness so although there’s a portion of the market who will want to buy tea as cheaply as possible there’s also a substantial number of loyal customers who are looking for great taste as well as value for money and who are willing to pay a little more per bag for a much nicer cuppa (although this is still only 3p per cup).

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Tea Review The introduction of premium products such as higher quality tea and nylon pyramid tea bags has potentially altered spending habits. Whilst tea cost 1-3p depending on quality, nylon bags retail at around 30p per bag but these products are seen as more of an occasional treat.

What developments have been made in the packaging sector that make tea such an essential food-to-go item?

Marie Finch There are more and more gadgets coming out which make it easier to brew loose leaf tea on the go which is great news and the choice of whole leaved tea bags are rapidly growing which gives the consumer the ability to take their tea drinking out of the house and on the move.

Sarah Lovell suggested that although her business does offer a to-go service, this is not a primary focus of her business, and as such her answer to this was perhaps limited. She said that, the fact that loose leaf tea has experienced a growth while the regular tea bag is steadily declining has led to an improvement in the quality of tea bags, to bridge this gap. The development of silk pyramids with whole leaves inside does mean that the quality of whole/larger leaves can be enjoyed on the go.

The wider use of sustainable paper rather than polystyrene cups also appeals to the more environmentally conscious and the ethical ethos of many businesses.

How are tea sales performing in the hot drinks sector of the market and how do you expect this to change in 2016?

It’s been widely reported that traditional black tea sales have been declining for a number of years now – while latest figures still show a decline in black tea sales, the rate at which it is dwindling is much lower than previous years at -1.5% in weight.

In comparison, market share of fruit and herbal, green and speciality teas is growing – in fact 1 in 4 households now buy fruit and herbal products – and this is another area we expect to grow in momentum in 2016. Compared to the 80% market share of black tea, the fruit and herbal, green and speciality market is still relatively small, but this is also 48

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linked to the fact herbal blends tend to contain smaller quantities of ingredients compared to black tea (approx. 3.125g in black tea compared to 1-2.5g in herbals.)

Marie Finch Tea sales are only increasing from our view and it’s going to keep increasing in 2016 with more and more individual teashops opening and the big coffee chains broadening their range of hot and cold teas. From our experience Tea is making its come back. Well I don’t think it ever went away as we as a nation drink over 165 million cups of tea daily compared to only 70 million cups of coffee. But it’s the choice and quality of tea that’s available to drink outside the home that’s now giving people the opportunity to have a decent cup of tea

on the go rather than only coffee.

Isabelle Hayes gave a statistical approach to the market and highlighted that tea continues to be the second biggest beverage category out of home and is growing at +3%. With 4 billion cups of tea consumed out of home in the UK. “Tea has grown across most channels but in particular Kantar research has shown that cafés (including those within supermarkets) and workplace are driving this growth, as consumers continue to choose these outlets for convenience,” she said.

With consumers becoming increasingly discerning and knowledgeable in their choices, tea has grown by 3% in coffee

shops alone in the last 2 years, with 17.2% of consumer’s now purchasing tea within coffee shops. Consumers are looking for a wider variety as well as healthier alternatives when eating out, both of which are fuelling the growth of fruit and herbal and green tea blends which pair well with food.

Breakfast and snacking will be key day parts for tea growth, delivering higher than average total spends for operators but interestingly tea is growing at lunch +2% driven by cafes & sandwich chains, so this is a new area for operators to consider with menus and lunchtime deals.

These findings demonstrate a great opportunity for operators of all kinds to continue to capitalise on the growth of the hot beverage sector and maximise their tea sales.

John also touched on Government-led campaigns to reduce the sugar content of food and drink grow in prominence, we think many consumers will turn to tea and infusions as an alternative drink option. Tea has some great qualities – it is calorie free ‘without milk’, while ‘with milk’ is still very low in calorie content but will boost calcium levels, it’s accessible to everyone, and although still debated research has linked tea consumption to a number of benefits including lower cholesterol and weight loss which will only help to increase its appeal to consumers.

Similarly fruit and herbal and green tea have been cited in numerous pieces of research as having health benefits which make them a natural alternative drink for those looking for a healthier option.

Overall the market is good shape and is well represented by a number of brands, we’ll now look at some of the best on the market.

Tea Review Dr Stuart’s

Balcony Tea Founded by Svetlana and Miriman Nela, Brighton based Balcony Tea brings the finest ingredients from the Mediterranean and infuses high-quality teas and carefully sourced herbs adding a Mediterranean twist to traditional British tea flavours.

“Using memories from our childhood in the Mediterranean, we wanted to combine ancient herb harvesting techniques with traditional British tea blending and the latest tea packing technology, so you can truly enjoy the best of the Mediterranean in your cup. With every sip we’re aiming to transport you to the perfect Mediterranean Balcony bringing your tea drinking experience to a new level” –says Lana.

Mountain Bliss If you need to unwind and relax then it’s a tea from the team at Balcony Tea that you need. An invigorating blend of green tea, sweet apple and mountain herbs this harks back to the Mediterranean roots of the founders. A great example of a flavoured green tea.

Dr Stuart’s is a range of natural, functional teas blended in the UK by the worldleading ethno-botanist Dr Malcolm Stuart – often heralded as ‘the father of modern herbalism’. Dr Stuart’s wealth of experience and knowledge helped awaken a generation’s interest in herbalism, and created their range of high-quality products designed to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Stuart’s spend a long time sourcing ingredients from the highest quality producers worldwide and manufacture all of their teas in their family-owned factory in the South-West of England.

Ginger and Seaweed Healthy teas are all the rage and that’s why we are seeing so many people buying green tea, the team at Dr Stuart have produced a tea that tastes and smells as healthy as it is. The properties that the tea contains are all perfect for a detox and this is a brand we can only see getting bigger.

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Tea Review Clipper Tea Think you don’t like the taste of Green Tea? Wait until you try Clipper’s brand new Green tea range. They’ve got something for even the staunchest green tea cynic, from naturally sweeter varieties Pear and Honey Green Tea and Mango Green Tea to tart Cranberry Green Tea and Refreshing Lime and Ginger Green Tea. And if you’re a Green Tea purist, their Pure Green Tea is the freshest, most mellow one around. They don’t need to tell you that Green Tea is full of free radical fighting antioxidants, but at Clipper, taste comes first and they think healthy can be delicious too.

The London Tea Company The London Tea Company is a young, fresh and modern tea brand, designed to appeal to the younger audience, offering a variety of new and innovative blends and flavours. With its bright, eye-catching packaging, fairtrade credentials and interesting flavours The London Tea Company’s range is definitely one to should consider stocking.

Look out for some of their trend led unusual blends and flavours such as Chocolate Chilli Rooibos which has cocoa nibs and a sprinkling of chilli flakes added to the tea to give it a warming kick! Or perhaps the White Tea Pear Tatin, a perfect after meal alternative to dessert, with sweet ginger giving it a real pudding flavour.

Raspberry Inferno This is a tea that really smacks you in the taste buds. The raspberry flavour really comes through and is sharp and satisfying. Of all the teas that we tried this is the one that held the most flavour and is perfect for someone looking for a really fruity hit.

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Clipper have been ahead of the green tea curve for 20 years, being the first green tea brand to launch into UK supermarkets.

Their complete Green Tea range is Fairtrade certified and they don’t even bleach their tea bags in their quest to give you the greenest green tea possible.

Lime and Ginger Green Tea Whilst lemon and ginger might be a more traditional flavour pairing the team at Clipper have opted to change the citrus in their tea. The ginger is earthy and the lime gives it a sharp yet clean finish. This is a great tea and one which should see sales rise even higher in a competitive sector. Excellent.

Tetley With a third of UK households choosing Tetley and over 175 years of tea blending experience, Tetley is the nation’s most trusted tea brand. Tetley is part of TATA Global Beverages an integrated beverage business that is the world’s second largest tea company globally and a leader in branded beverages.

Green Tea with Mango Making a tea stand out can be difficult and there is a lot of effort by the blenders to make sure their product sells. The Tetley Green Tea with Mango is delicious, the normally strong green tea flavour is complimented with the sweet flavour of fresh mango and the two make for a really nice pairing.

Tea Review Kyoko Real Green Tea UCC Coffee UK & Ireland has launched Kyoko Real Green Tea – a ready to drink tea – ideal for consumers looking for a drink they can consume like water that offers all of the health benefits of green tea but with a full bodied flavour and soft, refreshing taste.

With consumers becoming more health conscious and focussed on wellbeing, Kyoko Real Green Tea is perfect for operators wanting to tap into this demand as it contains no sugar, sweetener or calories.

Kyoko Real Green Tea is made of specially selected Shizuoka tea leaves, a region in Japan near Mount Fuji which produces almost half of all the green tea consumed in Japan.

Cold Green Tea Iced tea is really making a name for itself in the market and the experts at UCC coffee have jumped on this. They have released an iced green tea that is full of flavour and will surely sell well. This is something different for the grab and go market and looks fantastic on the shelves with great packaging and branding.

We Are Tea We Are Tea’s range of award-winning, whole-leaf teas coupled with their innovative approach to training, support and service make We Are Tea the perfect tea partner to bring tea to life across restaurants, bars, boutique hotels and casual dining outlets.

From devising unique colour-coded categories for their teas to launching the most innovative loose leaf tea infuser on the market, We Are Tea is on a mission to break down the barriers to speciality tea. They aim to make it easier than ever for people to explore and enjoy the wonderful world of whole-leaf teas from some of the finest artisan producers on the planet.

Ceylon with Vanilla Vanilla is such a dominant flavour when we saw it in a tea we were a little dubious but there was no need, this tea is delicious and well worth trying. Using a great black tea and adding the tones of vanilla really made for a nice drink.

“In the UK, consumers spend nearly £600m on tea every year. ” Bellevue Tea Bellevue tea is an independently owned family business based in Wandsworth, London. Quite simply, the team at bellevue tea want you to have the best possible tea drinking experience whether from their tea bags or from their fine leaf tea.

It was founded by Clare Jones, whose tea knowledge is based on years of meeting tea producers, tea brokers and tea tasters brought home by her tea trader husband, Mike.

Not surprisingly she has drunk numerous cups of tea in the process.

Noticing that tea bag drinkers were being poorly served by drearily packaged products which harked back to times gone by, she decided to create a beautifully designed and packaged range of string and tag tea bags fit for the 21st century.

Organic Green Tea There is nothing standard about this organic green tea, it is simply beautiful, even those that don’t like green tea will be drawn to a second cup after trying this. Those that love green tea already will be flocking to buy this, as it is so clean, light and tasty. Those looking for a healthy tea which is cleansing should try this.

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Tea Review Tregothnan Tregothnan puts the English into English tea for the first time in history.

The team planted the first ever tea in the UK in 1999, to create this inimitable Britishness. Home to the Boscawen family, the belief in doing things well, has persevered since 1334.

“Black tea, as we know is the biggest seller but in terms of popularity we are seeing a real shift”

Tea - Camellia sinensis thrives at Tregothnan by the deep sea creek of the Fal in Cornwall. The world’s favourite beverage has finally found a home on British soil and today they continue to experiment, create and innovate.

Lemon Verbina Tregothnan have a really nice story in that they grow all of their own tea on their land in Cornwall, this British tea is sure to please consumers and the Lemon Verbina was a perfect afternoon tea. Delicate and light in flavour but with a great scent this was a superb tea and definitely a palate cleanser. Great taste.

Flora Tea As Seen On BBC Dragons’ Den. Multi-Award winning London based wholesale & online retail tea company for unique Flora Tea concept and loose leaf tea & glass tea sets. They aim to create an experience whilst enjoying their premier tea that present beautiful moments and stimulates all senses.

Flora teas are hand-tied individual first-pick tea tips (Green tea) with selected dried aromatic flowers forming a tea ball/heart, which reveals its secret centre when placed in boiling water, blooming into an artistic and captivating flower display with an enriching taste. Flora Tea brings an Artistic, innovative and simple way to enjoy, their real tea.

Flying Snow Flora Tea is all about the theatre and is a great addition to any café looking to stand out. The hand-tied bulbs of green tea that open up to reveal a stunning flower, this is one where a clear cup or glass is a must. The tea itself is superb and for green tea lovers is on to try.

Ringtons

Ringtons was established in 1907 by Samuel Smith in Newcastle upon Tyne who sold tea door to door by horse and cart. Today over 108 years later, Ringtons remains a family business and is headed up by the fourth generation of the founding Smith family.

Ringtons continues to make traditional doorstep deliveries from 18 sites throughout the UK and continues to pack and blend all of its tea in the UK somewhat of a rarity amongst British tea companies today.

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Over the years Ringtons has expanded its offering and is now just as renowned for its high quality coffee, fruit and herbal infusions, hot chocolate, food products and gifts as it is for its famous tea.

Bird of Paradise A unique blend of green and white teas with the taste of peach, mango and apple.

When you smell the tea it’s the peach that comes through strongest but on the tongue all three flavours play a part, this is a great all-round tea and one which those stocking loose leaf should consider.

Tea Review Lipton Tea Fusion

Tea Fusion is an exciting new tea solution, which delivers freshly brewed loose leaf tea through a dedicated brewing process. Instead of dunking a teabag in their cup for a varying amount of time consumers can watch the tea leaves “dance” in the brewing chamber.

The sophisticated new concept combines optimal brewing conditions for a range of 12 teas and infusions in under one minute; resulting in a consistently high quality cup of loose leaf tea every single time, at the touch of a button. Removing the hassle and mess free for both operators and consumers.

Pineapple and Ginger Again its theatre that plays a big part in the Lipton tea products, made in the chamber of the Tea fusion machines this is a great tea to watch being made. As the loose leaf tea swirls around to give maximum flavour the colours are fantastic. Our favourite was the Pineapple and ginger, a really warming flavour and perfect for any time of the day.

Café Amore

“This growth has been driven by increasingly adventurous and health conscious consumers who have begun to move away from the classic brew”

Drawing on over 45 years of experience in the vending industry, Refreshment Systems was well placed to launch Café Amore as an exciting coffee shop vending concept. The brand has evolved over the years and is now a leading supplier of premium coffees, teas and chocolates to the sector.

All of their blends are traditionally drum roasted, which gives their experienced roaster hands-on control of the roasting process. Their loose leaf teas were recently introduced in response to demand from an increasingly health conscious consumer.

Their range currently includes English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Ceylon Nuwara, Assam, Gunpowder Green, Darjeeling, Strawberry & Kiwi and Orange & Passionfruit. With new ranges soon to be released including their Japanese Genmaicha (popcorn tea).

Blue Lady This tea is a sensory explosion, at first you are drawn in by the black tea interlaced with colourful flowers, then you get the scent. This tea has strong notes of grapefruit and that really comes through when tasting. We have never tasted a fruit tea like this and it stood out as one of our favourites. Strong flavour and perfect for fruit lovers.

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Tea Review Numi Tea Numi Organic Tea provide a range of premium teas, made from 100% real ingredients, to the out of home tea drinker.

Numi’s ethical range, which includes Moroccan Mint, Jasmine Green, Aged Earl Grey and Breakfast Blend flavours, are produced from only the highest grade, full tea leaves with only real herbs, fruits, flowers and spices to create the purest tea-drinking experience. No oils, natural or artificial flavourings, fragrances or perfumes are added, meaning only the best pure flavours and taste can develop in the cup.

Each Numi tea bag is made from natural fibre to ensure the full flavours infuse in every cup and should be steeped in the cup for up to five minutes, like loose leaf tea, in order for the full taste profile to develop.

Spiced Orange It doesn’t get much more festive than this in terms of flavour, with Orange, Cinnamon and Cloves all coming thorough on the palate but this is a warming brew for any time of the year.

PG Tips Ever since the 1930s, the people of Britain have been sitting down for a chat over a delicious cup of PG tips. That’s a long time and a lot of tea (which is why they make sure all their tea is Rainforest Alliance certified).

PG tips is an ingenious brand and their pyramid® bags, which act like a mini teapot, give the leaves plenty of room to infuse.

Since that first cup, the team of experts at PG HQ has developed a terrific range of teas, from Decaf to the Premium Range, to Fruit, Herbal and Green teas.

They are proud to be the first major UK tea brand to sell fully Rainforest Alliance certified black and green teas.

Red Berries One of the nation’s favourite tea producers have extended their range recently and added some excellent fruit teas. All of their flavours are on trend and of the ones that we tried it was the Red Berries that stood out. A really flavoursome tea that you can drink by the bucket load.

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Joe’s Tea

Tea Review

Joe has learnt, lived and breathed the trade of taste. Dealing with (and drinking lots of) fine teas in London and loving how tea can bring people together, a little seed was sown. So, after much sweat, toil, travels and tea guzzling, Joe’s Tea Company was born in 2012. His dream? To bring us our favourite British drink in its finest form, to take the ‘toff’ out of fine tea, to tingle our taste buds with quirky and colourful concoctions but keep it real, and to celebrate the moments shared over a quality cuppa. After all, ‘it’s just tea’ he says.

Their award winning eleven teas and herbal infusions are exclusively organic and contain real, whole leaf ingredients guaranteeing a top notch cuppa every time.

St Clement’s Lemon This is one of the most refreshing teas that we tried, the flavour of both the orange and lemon came through and there was a nice crisp aftertaste. The team at Joe’s always make great flavour pairings and this is just another one. A must try.

Brew Tea

Brew Tea exists to provide a small range of classic, popular blends of tea, better than anyone else. By keeping their inventory purposely short it allows them to ensure a high level of quality is retained.

In the past few years they’ve been able to surprise folks by popping up in places where they wouldn’t usually expect to find fantastic, whole leaf tea. They are all-too-often blown away that something as simple as tea can taste so different and be presented in a much better way than a sad paper teabag floating around a small white cup.

For the team at Brew it’s not ‘just tea’, it’s more than that. That 10 minutes where you sit down with a cup of tea should be tasty, easy-to-achieve and a little luxury - so we wanted to rid the table of excess frills or ceremony with timers, doilies or over-complicated teaware.

For them their mantra always has been {and always will be} that if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.

English Breakfast We received both bags and loose tea in this flavour as well as many others and whilst they were all very good, the loose English Breakfast was superb. About as perfect as a morning tea can get and served in a rather attractive loose leaf tea pot. Great tea.

“The most popular blends on the market we see are rooibos and chai teas.”

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Tea Review There has been a rise in sales of loose leaf teas as consumer look for a more premium product.

Cosy Tea Cosy will keep all your tea bases covered and help you keep this quintessentially British beverage part of your business. The Cosy Organic Tea range offers nine different flavours to choose from; Breakfast, Decaf, Earl Grey, Blueberry, Rooibos (with vanilla), Chamomile, Peppermint, Jasmine Green and Lemon Green. And box comes with individually wrapped, unbleached tea bags.

The Cosy range comes complete with unique, eye catching and colourful packaging. Each pack of Cosy Tea displays a hand knitted pattern that is specific to its flavour and has been lovingly crafted to help the range stand out from the usual boxes; which also makes it easier for your customers to spot their favourite flavour of tea! All teas have been approved by the Organic Trust and the three black teas are approved by the Fairtrade Foundation.

Breakfast Tea When it comes to breakfast tea, Cosy make one of the best on the market, the team in the office all have their morning brew in a different way and we all agreed that it is perfect however you like it.

Teapigs Nick and Louise started teapigs in November 2006. They met whilst working for a really big tea company, where they learned all about tea and drank lots of it. And the more they learned, and the more they drank, the more they came to realise something: that there’s a whole world of quality teas out there that simply aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

Their ethos is that they will only ever sell teas of the highest quality.

They will never compromise on quality, which also means they sell only whole leaf tea from selected estates, which they supply either as loose leaf or in tea temples.

They don’t want to intimidate you with a huge list of teas or bewilder you with a mass of information (although, of course, you can always ask them). They’ve handpicked a select range that offers you the chance to discover the wonderfully diverse world of tea.

Peppermint Leaves Too often we see green tea with peppermint and the flavours can be confused. With Teapigs peppermint however that’s all they use, peppermint leaves. The taste is subtle and refreshing and it lingers long after the tea has gone. If you could smell this tea, you’d buy it for sure. Fantastic.

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Business profile

o o b o Mo Businesses in the food and drink industry are constantly looking for the latest products and trends as well as a gap in the market for new concepts. If you can bring a business or a product to market that is new and exciting then you have a fighting chance in what is often a crowded landscape.

In terms of tea, the high streets of the UK are filled with cafes and consumer demand is high. All of this means that business owners and investors who operate in this sector have to stand out.

In this industry, one of the latest trends to take off has been Bubble Tea and when Eric Khaw founded Mooboo Bubble Tea he set out principles for growing a brand and bringing delicious drinks and desserts to the nation.

His aim was to create the finest quality products, a vision which continues as his business, goes from strength to strength.

By working closely with customers and staff, Mooboo stands out from the competition as a market leader and it is fair to say that they one-step ahead.

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Bringing Bubble Tea to Britain

about the products, the demand and how he has grown the business from a single unit operation into a multi-site, franchise opportunity.

Let us start at the beginning, what Is Bubble Tea? Bubble Tea is a Taiwanese drink sometimes referred to as Pearl Milk Tea or Boba-milk Tea, which was invented in the 1980’s. It is essentially a tea, which is shaken or mixed with fruit or milk to give a foam consistency. The drinks then have either fruit jellies added to the top of them or more commonly, tapioca balls added which sink to the bottom. These Tapioca balls are then sucked up through an oversized straw and to get a tasty drink with a bit of texture.

“With green and fruit teas doing so well in terms of regular sales and with there being a focus on healthier products, the customers have really taken to the concept and sales are growing fast. We offer a wide range of drinks and more and more people are trying to be a little more experimental.”

So, what is the ethos of the company?

“Mooboo is a British business with rich Far East culture; we are bringing traditional tastes and concepts from the East to the West and aim to serve our customers a tasty product that they remember.

“Essentially you could say we are a dessert retail business. We have passion for what we do and use the latest technology to make our products. We research all aspect of the market, new techniques and flavours to try and create products for everybody.”

What are the latest trends in the tea industry?

“One trend which is big at the moment and which has literally become viral on social media is the “tea-tox”. These are “at home” detox plans which promise to give results in all types of ways, including weight loss, boosting the immune system, lowering cholesterol and so much more!

Business profile “We see a lot of people associate our green and fruit teas with this trend and they want something different and come to us. In some cases these teas have become more popular and have actually have replaced the English breakfast tea, which is a positive for us.”

Tell us a little bit about the first site?

“Our first store was opened in August 2012 in Camden Town. We used our in-house design team and a few project managers, this is the same with all of the sites and, depending on the requirements, it usually takes 2-6 months to complete a store.

“We decided that when we were designing the sites that the style had to be attractive to the eye, we wanted to give customers a relaxing ambience and allows everyone to watch our skilful staff whip up their bubble tea step by step!

“The public absolutely love our design, especially the Instagram TV which has been a major hit with almost all of our customers. They are able to upload their picture, then simply by adding the Mooboo hashtag they become instantly Mooboo famous! We’re all about the customers and want them to feel part of the experience.”

How many locations are there now and where?

“There are about 12 locations, three in London, two in Glasgow and a store in, Hertfordshire, Bradford, Coventry, Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester. We’d love for people to come and try them and are confident that they’ll never look back once they’ve had this unique tea.

“I must mention that all of our sites are very busy and can normally accommodate on average around 20-30 customers at once. Our busiest time is usually the afternoons and eveningsespecially on the weekends”

What sets you aside from other similar businesses in your area?

“We have many key factors which set us

aside from others in our area.

“Firstly, the quality of our tea- we use handpicked loose black and green tea leaf from Taiwan, which is freshly brewed meticulously every day. This makes our taste quite unique and provides just the right strength in flavour.

“Secondly we ensure our tapioca is always fresh by cooking new batches throughout the day. This guarantees a chewy but soft texture. Most of our customers say our tapioca is the best they have tried.

“We also try to create new and exciting recipes as often as we can so that we can continue to serve our growing range of customers. Our latest creation is the IceBo- created especially for our dessert lovers.”

What are your plans moving forward?

“We hope to continue to spread our brand across the UK and delight many more customers with our magical bubble tea. Ideally, we would love to go global.”

What is the most popular item on the menu?

“At the moment, our most popular item is the Mooboo Classic with Tapioca. This drink is made from black tea and our non-dairy milk.” passionate enough to give it a try.

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Industry Voice - Cimbali As always the team here at QuickBite are dedicated to bringing you the very best news and insights from those at the head of the industry. This month is no different as we speak to Matthew Tuffee, National Accounts Director, Cimbali UK, about the current state of the food-to-go market and coffee plays an important role in the breakfast market.

How is coffee performing in the breakfast market?

Whether a customer opts for a breakfast bap, sweet pastries or muffins, coffee takes the lion’s share of the hot beverage offer and a full range of quality speciality coffees has become a standard that customers expect to see.

How can technology add value to your coffee offering?

Leading manufacturers such as La Cimbali are using innovative new technologies which make it simple for even inexperienced staff to deliver consistent in cup quality every time.

Thanks to the latest superautomatic machines, it is easier than ever before to produce a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee made with fresh beans and milk all at the push of a button.

Customers love the enticing, fresh coffee aroma and staff benefit from fail safe technology which helps deliver delicious speciality coffees, at speed and to a predetermined quality, even at peak times during the day.

What are the latest innovations and developments in the market?

Our new supersmart superautomatic, the S30 Perfect Touch features future proof IoT technology that provides a powerful management information system, plus numerous patented technologies which deliver exceptional coffee quality.

The S30 can be monitored remotely for quality control; fault diagnosis; cleaning and maintenance purposes and this type of data is invaluable to anyone who wants to maximize both the operating performance and profit potential of the beverage menu.

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La Cimbali S30 patented technologies include: MilkPS allows even the smallest quantity of hot or cold milk to be frothed; dual SmartBoiler that boosts steam and hot water capacity; the multi award winning self adjusting Perfect Grinding System (PGS), plus the TurboSteam 4 with a new ‘cold touch’ steam wand, all of which help maintain in cup quality through the brewing cycle.

How have businesses adapted to make sure that the consumer gets such a consistent, premium product?

Having great food and a poor hot beverage offer or vice versa just won’t cut it in an increasingly competitive market in which consumers have come to expect a quality offer as a given. Consistency in the breakfast offer therefore becomes critical. This inevitably means some operators will need to invest the necessary resources, whether that is new equipment or on going staff training, in order to meet consumer expectations or risk losing business

What can food-to-go sites with a small footprint do to boost their coffee offering?

Low coffee volumes are not a barrier to serving great coffee! The key is ensuring that you have the correct spec of machine for your anticipated daily coffee volumes.

For example, Cimbali offers a comprehensive range of superautomatic bean to cup machines which deliver great tasting coffee with some models, such as the new S30 Perfect Touch capable of serving 300 cups of coffee per day. At the other end of the scale we offer the Q10, a compact machine with some great user features and a capacity of up to 100 cups per day.

If in doubt, it’s always wise to consult the machine manufacturer before you buy and ask for a demo so you can ensure you have the correct model for your needs.

Finally, what new trends are we going to see in 2016?

We are all familiar with the ‘third wave’ coffee aficionado, best served by the specialist outlets who, in the main, are the artisanal coffee shops.

We are now seeing the emergence of the “fourth wave” and the market is responding by applying more scientific principles to the brewing cycle. For example, La Cimbali’s most technically advanced traditional espresso machine, the M100 has an integral pressure profiling system which allows the creative barista to highlight flavour characteristics, balance sweetness and acidity, adjust mouth feel and body, experiment with signature drinks and generally prepare the coffee exactly as he wishes, meeting the fourth wave coffee enthusiasts head on.

Food Standards Agency

Food Standards Agency

Don’t leave your customers asking ‘where’s the sticker?’

The Food Standards Agency is urging food businesses to display their hygiene rating The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is now well and truly bedded in and is working to improve food hygiene standards. This is good news for consumers in terms of reducing food safety risks and also good news for food businesses.

Our research shows that many people – your potential customers – are now looking out for the distinctive green and black stickers before choosing where to eat. Don’t leave them to guess how seriously you take food hygiene, or worse, assume that you have something to hide.

More and more businesses with ratings of 3, 4 and 5 are displaying their stickers and they are telling us that this has had a positive impact. It has helped improve customer confidence, give them a better reputation among their customers and, most importantly, more customers through the door. These may include your competitors so don’t lose out: put your sticker up too.

Our research also tells us that people are happy to eat at places with a rating of 3, 4 or 5. Displaying your sticker where people can easily see it, for example in a window or on the door, immediately reassures them about the hygiene standards of your business. If you’ve lost, damaged or misplaced your sticker, you can contact your local authority food safety officer who can provide you with a new one.

You can use your rating in other ways to help improve business, such as including it on promotional materials like menus or advertising leaflets. If you want to know more about getting the most out of your hygiene rating, look at the ideas and tips in our online ‘How to’ toolkit for businesses.

All food businesses should be able to achieve the top rating.

If you need to improve standards to get there, look at your last food hygiene inspection report and make sure you take all the actions needed to meet legal requirements and promptly arrange for any repairs or maintenance needed. You should also continue making regular routine checks to ensure standards are being maintained, that staff understand and are following the rules, and that your documented food safety management system is kept up to date with all necessary records and checks completed and recorded. You can also look at the range of tools that we have produced to help you manage food hygiene.

You can find out more about these on the hygiene resources page of our website.

Failing to display your rating could be costing you valuable customers, so take action now and don’t have your customers asking ‘where’s the sticker?’

Catriona Stewart joined the Food Standards Agency at its launch in 2000 and is Head of the Compliance and Enforcement Strategy Team. She has responsibility for the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and was closely involved in its development and roll-out. Her team provides support to local authorities, which operate it across the country.

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Accountancy

Extra pension tax relief is

available now!

The recent Budget contained good news for pension investors. The amount of tax relief that can be received on pension contributions has just increased for some.

What is pension tax relief?

To encourage everyone to save for retirement, some pension contributions receive up to 45% tax relief: The government automatically pays 20% of your contributions, regardless of your tax rate and higher and top-rate taxpayers can reclaim more through their tax return, up to an extra 20% or 25% depending on individual circumstances.

Imagine you pay £8,000 into your pension, the government will add £2,000 to make it £10,000 in your pension. A higher-rate taxpayer can reclaim up to a further £2,000 and a top-rate taxpayer up to a further £2,500. £10,000 in a pension can in effect cost as little as £5,500.

To receive the full 40% or 45% tax relief you must pay enough tax at that rate.

Who can now receive more pension tax relief?

A £40,000 maximum annual allowance untaxed usually applies to pension contributions each tax year, from all sources into your pension pot.

Contributions over this allowance effectively do not receive tax relief.

In the budget, a new £40,000 allowance was introduced for contributions made from 9 July 2015 to 5 April 2016 This means anyone who made contributions from 6 April 2015 to 8 July 62

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2015 might be able to invest more this tax year as they have the £40k allowance starting again from 8th July 2015 and receive more tax relief. Anyone who hasn’t made contributions still has the same allowance - £40,000 for contributions up to 5 April 2016.

Contributions registered from 6 April 2015 to 8 July 2015 will reduce this new allowance, but only if they exceeded £40,000.

Pension contributions made in the previous tax year could also count; your provider should be able to inform you.

How this works is explained in the table below.

Qualifying for extra tax relief To receive tax relief, the total value of your contributions this tax year should not exceed your earnings. For instance, to contribute £60,000 in total this tax year you should earn at least £60,000.

If you wanted to invest more than your earnings in any tax year, you could ask your employer to make an employer contribution, possibly set off against future earnings.

If you decide to use your new allowance, remember money in a pension can normally only be accessed from age 55, rising to 57 from 2028, usually 25% of this pension pot is tax free and the rest taxed as income. Tax rules can change in the future.

Contributions from 6 April 2015 to 8 July 2015 Allowance from 9 July 2015 to 5 April 2016 £0 £40,000 £15,000 £40,000 £40,000 £40,000 £60,000* £20,000 £100,000* £0

*Anything over £40,000 registered in this period uses up the new £40,000 allowance.

Need more help?

This feature aims to give some informal hints and tips. Our tax department and McPhersons Financial Solutions are offering businesses free advice so get in touch now to arrange your meeting.

Simply email Peter Watters p.watters@mcphersons.co.uk or call our Head Office on 01424 730000 for a free consultation at McPhersons’ London, Bexhill or Hastings offices.

Legal

SUPPLIER CONTRACTS:

DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT What is a supplier contract?

Supplier contracts usually fall into one of two categories: contracts for the sale of goods, or contracts for the supply of services. Some contracts will cover the supply of both goods and services.

Does a supplier contract have to be in writing?

No, an oral contract can be binding between two parties if it satisfies the requirements necessary to form a contract: offer (e.g. an offer to sell a product); acceptance (e.g. agreement to buy the product); consideration (e.g. a payment for the product); intent to create legal relations (e.g. an intention on both sides to buy and sell the product); and certainty of terms (e.g. it is clear what product is being bought/sold and how much will be paid for it). Even if you have not signed a written contract, you can be bound if those criteria are met.

The battle of the forms – whose terms apply?

It can be difficult to identify which terms govern a contract when both parties are trying to use their own standard terms of sale and purchase. For example, one party issues its standard form contract and the other party subsequently issues a purchase order or quotation with different terms attached. The general rule is that the last set of terms sent prior to acceptance or performance of the contract will prevail. However, this is not a certainty and it is always best for the parties to agree which terms will apply before the contract is concluded.

What about pre-contract negotiations and representations?

In the absence of an entire agreement clause in the contract, it could be open to one party to argue that certain promises or representations made during the course of negotiations are binding, even though they are not set out in the contract itself. An entire agreement clause will provide that the contract constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all previous discussions and negotiations between them. This will preclude one party from relying on any promises made by the other, which are not written into the contract.

Can a supplier exclude all of its liability under the contract?

In a word, no. Certain liabilities cannot be excluded under any contract, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or defective products and liability for fraud. It is also not possible to exclude the term implied by law into all contracts for the supply of goods that the buyer will get good title to those goods. Other liabilities can only be excluded to the extent it is reasonable to do so. Whether it is reasonable will depend on several factors, such as whether the parties are contracting on one party’s standard terms of sale or supply and whether the parties have equal bargaining power.

Time is of the essence – what does this actually mean?

Contracts for the delivery of goods or performance of services may provide that time is of the essence in relation to such delivery or performance. This sounds innocuous but can have severe consequences. It means that the timing is a key condition of the contract and failure to deliver or perform on time gives the buyer the right to terminate the contract and claim damages (if it has suffered a loss). The general principle is that, even in the absence of a specific provision, time will be of the essence for performance of a commercial contract unless the contract specifically provides otherwise.

Katee is a senior solicitor in Goodman Derrick’s employment team advising on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law, from recruitment to the end of employment relationship. She has acted for clients in the hospitality and leisure sector for many years.

Katee has been recognised as an “Associate to Watch” by Chambers & Partners Guide to the Legal Profession and as a “Super Lawyer” by The Telegraph.

Goodman Derrick is a leading commercial law firm in the City of London.

Katee Dias Senior Solicitor Goodman Derrick LLP 020 7404 0606 kdias@gdlaw.co.uk

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Waste Management Property

Property

Our property pages highlight businesses for sale, nationwide!

QUIRKY, FUN ECLECTIC BREAKFAST BAR & LICENSED DAYTIME CAFÉ & BISTRO WITH GLOWING LEVELS OF TRADE A unique, attractive and well presented character licensed café and bistro trading on a predominantly daytime basis, is now being offered for sale through licensed property specialists Stonesmith of Exeter.

The Front Room trades from a lucrative town centre trading position in the popular and desirable Cornish coastal town of Penzance. Having been fitted out and furnished to a high standard throughout within the last 18 months, this business is presented in a fun, quirky and eclectic mix of styles and offers undoubted potential for incoming operators to build on the existing levels of trade or develop their own particular style of cuisine. Benefiting from excellent levels of regular repeat trade from locals and visitors from surrounding towns and village, The Front Room enjoys a boost from the many tourists to the area throughout the year visiting the nearby national landmark attractions of Lands End, St Michael’s Mount, Cape Cornwall and the ever popular open air Minack Theatre close by.

Our client sources all ingredients locally and wherever possible everything is prepared and cooked on the premises and a 4 Star Food Hygiene rating has been awarded. Catering for special dietary requirements such as gluten and dairy free diets, the menu includes breakfasts, light bites, lunches, sandwiches, desserts, cakes and afternoon tea – including the ever popular Cornish cream tea.

Stonesmith are offering the leasehold business for sale off an asking price of £79,950.

Full details can be downloaded direct from our website www.stonesmith.co.uk and viewings can be arranged by calling 01392 201262.

SENSATIONAL GUEST HOUSE – NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE Picture postcard setting with a fantastic high street full of Olde Worlde charm. 6 delightful and superbly fitted bedrooms all with en suite. Owners room with separate bathroom featuring a whirlpool bath. Lovely dining area with large kitchen diner, fully equipped and ideal for evening meals or a luxury restaurant. Could be developed as a cooking school. Very large rear garden plus outside stores, sauna room and external covered area for further development of hot tub.

Present owner has health problems therefore does not open all year round. Prior to illness the business has achieved around £70,000 T/o in a full year. This business needs a Husband and Wife team to fully develop its potential. Ideal as a lifestyle business to a Southern buyer waiting to move North to enjoy a business and home. The location is superb and the property has had a serious amount of money invested upon it.

Freehold £550,000. Serious cash offers will be considered. Contact Clifford Lax with AWG Business Transfer 0113 2390330 or 01924 368200. www.clifford-lax.co.uk or www.awgbusinesstransfer.co.uk

DAYTIME FISH & CHIPS TAKE AWAY & LICENCED RESTAURANT, JUST OFF MULTIPLE THORO’FARE, OUTSKIRTS OF SOUTHAMPTON. Retirement sale – same hands for 29 yrs. Eye-catching take away with 5-pan range.

Adjacent restaurant seats 56. T/O £4,000 p.w. (80% take away). Accounts avail. Scope for evening and Sunday opening. Available FREEHOLD with 2 double bed flat above £380,000,OR, as a lock-up with a new lease, at £12,000 p.a.x. – £89,500 + S.A.V. for more information contact Andrew Greenwood Business Transfer on email: info@andrewgreenwood.com or via our website www.andrewgreenwood.com 64

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Issue 29 February 2016

Property UNDER 60k

SUPERB DAY TIME CAFE West Yorkshire Type: Eye catching business. Seating for 20.

Open plan kitchen with excellent equipment.

Price: Leasehold £59,500 Details: www.clifford-lax.co.uk

UNDER 80k

Licensed Coffee Shop & Cafe For Sale Stockport, Greater Manchester Type: Cafe/Restaurant with 50+ covers in a great town centre location..

Guide Price: £79,950+sav Details: www.sovereignbt.co.uk

UNDER 300k

Freehold Wholesale Bakery & Retail Shop North West England Type: A well presented and time served business with a turnover of £650,000.

Guide Price £260,000+sav Details: www.sovereignbt.co.uk

UNDER 50k

UNDER 30k

15k

ExcePTIONALLY WELL-PRESENTED BUSY BISTRO Brighton

A1 SANDWICH BAR Rayleigh

LICENSED CAFE/TAPAS RESTAURANT Riverside Town near Colchester

Type: On a busy main road close to many shops, offices and small industrial sites

Type: Fantastic business with low overheads.

Takings £800 p/w. New lease, rent £6,020 pax.

Type: 53 covers. Trading just 2 evenings/ Takings £1,200 - £1,400 p/w. rent only £7,000

Price: £49,950+sav

Price: £15,000 L/hold.

pax. Must be seen. Price: £29,950

Details: www.watkinscom.co.uk

Details: www.bradleyscountrywide.co.uk

Details: www.bradleyscountrywide.co.uk Issue 29 February 2016

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Dates for your diary Discover what exciting events and exhibitions are taking s e t a d y place over the coming months for the foodservice industry Diar

The Franchise Show 19th-20th February

Location Excel London

2016

Hotelympia

29th -

February

Location Excel London

2016

3rd

March 2016

In the next issue

franchise is right for you.

Join thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners at The Franchise Show, •Find out what you need to know as new the best franchise event in the country. Meet franchisee. with the best proven franchise opportunities, • Discover industries that are new, or that all under one roof. Every industry. Every you might not have considered. investment level. Full-time and part-time.

• Get advice on the wide range of financial • Meet over 100 of the top franchises. options from experts.

• Take Advantage of 60 Free Seminars and •Talk face-to-face with hundreds of the best In-Depth workshops. franchise opportunities expanding in your • Get the help you need in deciding which area!

Hotelympia is the UK’s largest foodservice and hospitality event and the most important event for any professional wanting to gain access to the latest products and thinking. It is the best place to find real innovation and ideas.

Hotelympia delivers innovation and networking opportunities for exhibitors and visitors that can’t be found anywhere else on this scale.

business performance and customer offering - for your hotel, restaurant, pub, café or catering company - through guaranteed access to the latest products across food and drink, catering equipment, interiors, technology, careers, and waste management solutions.

This is the place for you to improve your

Sauces and Seasonings Sauces and seasonings are a great way to add both flavour and value to your dishes. We speak to some of the leading providers to the foodservice industry as well as some end users and find out about the products and changes you could make.

Burgers

Without question burgers are one of the most popular items of food in the QSR and food-to-go market at the moment. Consumers are going crazy for them and they are a great way to add turnover. We look at burgers, toppings, sides and equipment that you can buy right now.

Avoiding Fire Hazards

Safety is vital in any business but in the food and drink industry fire can be a real danger. In this issue we speak to some of those at the helm of businesses aiming to prevent workplace fire. We get some tips and hear some changes you can make to protect your business.

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Issue 29 February 2016

Hotel Olympia Advert